Living Out His Dream

 

Service of Worship

Eastern Parkway United Methodist Church

January 17, 2021

Rev. Natalie Bowerman, Pastor

 

Let us pray:

Holy God. Today, we remember Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s struggle for equality, justice, and dignity for African Americans that inspired so many other reform movements that seek to highlight the plight of the oppressed in society.

We pray that all of those in civil and religious authority be reminded that we all have been created in your image, and that there is an intrinsic dignity in each of us that calls for uplifting every man and woman, young and old.

We pray that your Holy Spirit remind us all that you show no partiality with regards to nationality, race, ethnicity, or gender, and to do so is to go against your great commandment of love toward one another.

We pray that the church will not be complicit of injustice by being silent, but that it can rise up with a prophetic voice that speaks truth to power and advances the values of your Kingdom.

We pray these things in the name of our blessed redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.

1 Samuel 3: 1-10

The Lord Calls Samuel

1The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.

2One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

6Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

7Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

8A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

A Message

“Living Out His Dream”

Friends, on this weekend that we observe and celebrate his birthday, I wanted to share with you the life and history of a wise, modern prophet: the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was born on January 15, 1929. Interestingly, neither he nor his father, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr., were given the name “Martin Luther” at birth; they were both named Michael. His father was a prominent Baptist pastor whose theology deeply influenced young Martin’s heart and mind. His father, as an extension of his church’s ministry, took a trip around the world in the year 1934, visiting many countries and ending in Germany, right as the Third Reich was growing in power. Martin Sr. was horrified at the hateful rhetoric being taught by Hitler and his followers, and, at the same time, studied the theology of Sixteenth Century minister and Reformation leader Martin Luther. This was such a powerful experience for King’s dad that when he came home he immediately announced that he would now answer to the name “Martin Luther King”, and his son would be called “Martin Luther King, Jr.” Eventually they both legally changed their names to reflect this new God-ordained identity.

Though young Martin deeply admired his clergy father and soaked up what he learned in his dad’s church like a sponge, he also lived the imperfect faith of any earnest believer, and wrestled with his doubts. Still, his faith only grew. Martin had a life long love affair with words, and by a young age began memorizing Bible verses and hymns. As his vocabulary continued to grow, he enjoyed participating in his school’s theater and public speaking departments.

He experienced the harsh realities of racism early and often, and growing up young Martin fought hard against feelings of resentment toward his White neighbors. In one especially painful moment, he and his father were pulled over by a White police officer who called Martin Sr. “boy”. His dad calmly but sternly pointed to young Martin and told the officer “That there is a boy. I’m a man: The Rev. Martin Luther King.” And every time such an ugly situation reared its head Martin’s dad taught him to hold his neighbor accountable while also practicing nonviolent Christian love.

Bored with the limited educational opportunities available to a Black boy in the south, King applied to Morehouse College, an historically Black institution, when he was fifteen. He got in, and graduated at the age of nineteen. He felt a calling to the ministry and went right on to Crozer Theological Seminary, graduating at the age of 22. Still desiring more knowledge, he then studied for a PhD in systemic theology at Boston University, which he earned when he was 26.

From there King went right to work serving a Baptist congregation, just like his dad, but found his calling took the unique form of Civil Rights work. In December of 1955 King organized the 385 day Montgomery Bus Boycott. In 1957 he and several other key civil rights activists founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which taught, organized, and carried out nonviolent protests against Jim Crow laws. King saw huge victories in his work, particularly with the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965. As King continued his work his greatest passions were voting rights, desegregation, labor rights, housing rights, and fighting for the poor.

King’s biography shines with moments of brilliant inspiration: his organization of the March on Washington in 1963, his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, his earning of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, his founding of the Poor People’s Campaign, and his numerous posthumous awards. He gave us so much that even after he died we were still searching for ways to thank him. This weekend has been observed by many as a local holiday since 1971, and a Federal holiday since 1986. Dr. King is lifted up by many today as one of the greatest people who ever lived, and very rightly so.

That’s what makes the next reality I need to voice so painful—in my opinion our collective observation of this holiday, and of King’s life, has gotten way too soft and comfortable. Especially among white people like myself. We like to take a King quote, select some pretty font, and turn it into a nice post on Instagram, satisfied that in so doing we’ve honored his legacy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about pretty social media posts. But many of us have all but forgotten that King faced enormous heat for his calling, and he died for it.

If we really want to honor King, we need to acknowledge that all of his work involved enormous conflict and grave risk. He was arrested a total of 29 times. The FBI labeled Dr. King a radical and monitored him closely from 1963 until his death. He had numerous political enemies who blamed him for riots. The animosity toward him increased even more when he began publicly denouncing capitalism and America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. He was just in the midst of founding the Poor People’s Campaign, an organization that still fights for the marginalized today, when he was assassinated at the age of 39.

In this morning’s Hebrew Bible reading, we hear about a little boy named Samuel. His mother Hannah promised God that if she were ever lucky enough to conceive and bear a child, after many humiliating, lonely years of infertility, that child would spend all their days in service to the Temple. Fast forward ten years, Hannah has kept her promise, and little Samuel is serving a wise priest named Eli, in an era when not many people are hearing from God. Meanwhile God has been repeatedly calling to Samuel, but he doesn’t recognize God’s voice. Samuel keeps coming to Eli, and when Eli finally catches on that God is speaking, he teaches Samuel how to respond: “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”

By all means, read “I Have a Dream”. Admire his photographs. Spout poetic about what a great man he was, and how he was taken from this world far too soon. But after that, think long and hard about what you can do to be more like him. How can you summon just a little bit of his courage to advocate for the populations that were so dear to his heart? More than half a Century has passed since his death, but tragically in so many ways we still live in the same world King’s father saw back in 1934 when he decided to take the name Martin Luther. The gap between the rich and the poor has never been wider. People of color face enormous obstacles on the road to equality, and people who carry Nazi symbols still spread words of hate…and many people listen.

A voice like King’s should be to us like Eli’s to Samuel. If we really listen to King, he’ll show us how to hear the Divine, at a time when it may feel like God’s voice is hard to discern. And if we hear God, we can shout back to the world what God is saying. If you really admire King, and if his Dream of racial and social justice is yours, too, then ask God how you can carry on King’s work, even if only a little at a time. Say “speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” And then go and serve.

Amen.