Home > Sermons > sermonDate

Greeting

Well here we are.  It seems a rather short time since July 2006 when I first stood here and introduced myself to you.  I told you of some of the places I’d been and some people I had worked with, and how they molded who I am  – how they have molded my ministry – how that variety has shaped who I would be in your midst. Now I have new experiences – we have had experiences together – adding to the richness of life. What a privilege it has been to me and to my family to have been with you this year and a half. 

And now today, I count it a double privilege to bring as my final thoughts to you thoughts of Martin Luther King – one of the people who molded my own life and thought.  Last year on King’s Birthday Sunday I told you how my late wife Willa and I were traveling to visit close personal friends of Dr. King on the night he was shot – about how we stopped at a very hostile gas station to make a phone call – about how King’s personal friends encouraged us to come and spend the weekend with them in the midst of the tragedy we were all feeling – and how that whole experience changed who I am and what I have done with my life. 

Introduction

This morning, in order to share my thoughts with you, I invite you to engage in a little fantasy.  Close your eyes if it makes it easier.  Suspend your physical or metaphysical questions.  Live in the imagination for a little while.  Imagine that we can overhear a conversation in a great heavenly sitting room. Jesus and Martin Luther King are in comfortable chairs,  conversing friend with friend.  

Jesus

Jesus speaks to King as to a close personal friend. Some of King’s friends (like Billy Graham) used to call him “Mike.”  But I think Jesus chose to call him Martin. It is a name of more dignity.  The way Jesus says “Martin,” conveys Jesus’ great compassion! 

So Jesus might say, “Well Martin, what is on your mind today?  Something seems to be troubling you.” 

Martin

And King answers the Master in that deep resonant voice, “Well, Jesus, I’ve just been wondering... 

“Did I do something wrong?  I tried so hard to give the people a vision. I spoke about the promised land, which I knew I would not see.  But I was sure others would see it.  A promised land of freedom and hope. 

“I spoke about the great banquet table where black and white children would sit down together to feast in brotherhood and sisterhood – with no respect for the color of their skin.  

“I spoke about the nation living out its true creed that all people are created equal.” 

Jesus 

And Jesus, listening intently, replies,  “Yes, Martin, you spoke truly the words of the vision.  What you said was true.  No, you didn’t do it wrong.” 

Martin

And Martin continues,  “I suffered a lot for what I said, but I was persistent.  When I had to go to jail, I went to jail.  When it was time to speak to the President of the United States or to accept the Nobel Peace prize, I did that!  I lifted up the way of non-violence.  I suffered for the truth.  I always treated my enemies with dignity and love.  My way of life was a part of my message.  Did I do it right? 

“After all of these years, I wonder what has happened to the message. 

“I see they are celebrating my birthday as a national holiday.  I am certainly honored by that – and I can’t quite imagine how such a thing would happen.   But I wonder if my birthday celebration has become just another three day holiday.  A day to close the post office, the bank, and the stock exchanges.  

“I hear of people celebrating my birthday with brotherhood speeches and sisterhood essays.  Student groups and churches have special speakers in my honor.  Sometimes they play tapes of my sermons. 

“All of this honors me.  But I wonder if the people are spending too much time looking back to honor me.  I wonder if they have forgotten my real message.

“In 2008, is my dream really alive?”  

Jesus  

And Jesus says, “What do you mean Martin?” 

Martin

He continues,  “I mean, have people lost the vision?  They seem to be only looking back — 40 years is a long time.  I wanted them to keep looking forward. 

“Many changes have taken place.  Many minority people — not just blacks — have gotten jobs in places we could hardly dream of forty years ago.  There are black news anchors and talk show hosts. A young black man is running for President of the United States and he is running against a white woman.  There are many, many more wealthy African Americans, too. Times are changing.  But that isn’t exactly it. 

“The vision is about the other people – the people who suffer.  Children, black and white, speaking Spanish and speaking many languages from Asia and Africa who’s schools are not good.  Children who are hungry every day – even in the great cities of America.  There are so many people of all races who are homeless, and refugees of fighting and poverty who can’t find a place to live.  They go from soup kitchen to overnight shelter. They are in squalid refugee camps. My vision concerns these. Children born with AIDs and drug addictions.  What chance do they have?  

“And wars?  In my time it was the Viet Nam war. I spoke out against the United States policy in Viet Nam, I was deeply criticized – even by friends – for that.  They asked what right, I, a Negro civil rights worker, had dabbling into international policy. I still believe I was right, and most Americans believe that, too now.  But now there are other wars – Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur, Kenya.  The world needs a vision of peace – people who will speak out for peace and brother/sisterhood. 

“The world needs a vision of the sick being healed, of the oppressed being set free, of the weak made strong.  Of people living out brotherhood and sisterhood   – Jews, Muslims, Christians – for a start, since all three come from common ground.  If people want to celebrate my birthday, I wish they would revive the vision – consider what it means in 2008 – not just celebrate the past.  I wish they would consider the human suffering in 2008.

“Jesus, it makes me sad...” 

Jesus

And the Master nods his head, “Yes, Martin, I know just what you mean.  I am sad, too.  We try to teach people the vision, and they twist it and turn it into something else. 

“Look what they’ve done to my birthday!  They’ve long since forgotten the real date of my birth –  but they celebrate it as a winter festival.  Sometimes they remember the poverty and helplessness of my birth. But more often they glorify it –  making it more heavenly than earthly. But most people have forgotten all about me.  They have made my birthday an excuse for spending money –  buying things that people don’t need.  It’s a frenzy. 

“Yes, Martin, I know your sadness.  Mine is multiplied by many, many years.  The First day of the week was to remember my resurrection.  But it is hard even for churches to remember to celebrate the resurrection.  People see Sunday as a day off, or a day of recreation.  They have no  idea of celebrating my life or death or resurrection, not even once a year. 

“I taught them, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers,’ but people make war in my name.  I taught ‘Blessed are the poor,’ but people scramble to be rich.  I came to bring light to those in darkness and to heal the sick,  but people avoid those in the dark and those who are really sick. 

“But, Martin, we will keep the vision alive.  And I will send others to remind people of the vision stated by Amos the prophet of old, ‘Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.’ (Amos 5:24) 

“And some of the people who remember you really do see the vision.  Some are not just looking back, but looking forward.  And as they walk forward together, they are following your path into a new future.   They are following my path –  not a quaint piece of American history or ancient Jewish history, but a way into future hope.” 

Conversation ends

So we close the curtain on the conversation of Jesus and Martin.  As we celebrate Dr. King’s life and death, may we look forward with the vision of hope and justice for all people, and spend only a little time looking back to golden times of 1968 or of the first century of the Common Era.

Conclusion

I leave you, First Congregational Church. I leave you reminding you of the vision of Jesus – that vision of binding up the broken-hearted, of releasing the captives, that vision of the lame walking and the blind seeing.  That vision is what Jesus lived by and what he calls us to.  The vision is why we follow Jesus.  Caring for the poor is not just an extra-curricular church activity.  The vision is the very heart of what Jesus is about.  (That is something I learned while I worked in the inner city. 

May God encourage you, as you step forward with new pastoral leadership, to grasp that vision and pray to God for the grace to be the vision-keepers in this place at this time and into the future. 

Remember the things we learned in our readings of Diana Butler Bass’s book, Christianity for the Rest of Us. Remember that the gospel of Jesus Christ form us and informs us as mainline Protestants as we keep alive Christ Jesus’ vision in our way in our day. 

Amen.