Yesterday we celebrated the third Sunday after Epiphany and Sanctity of Life Sunday on the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. These intersections created some personal reflections that surely showed up in the morning “sermon.” Today I find an illustration in the blog post of Emily Hunter McGowin.
Perhaps is it appropriate that I am posting this story on the day in the US that we celebrate the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On April 4, 1967, when speaking against the Vietnam War, Dr. King said, “I could not be silent in the face of such cruel manipulation of the poor.” I hope that we can say the same.
And, for the executive fat-cats who watch while gross injustice plagues poor women and children in the developing world, I hear the words of Amos echoing in my head:
“You trample on the poor
and force him to give you grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,
you will not live in them;
though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine.For I know how many are your offenses
and how great your sins.
You oppress the righteous and take bribes
and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts.”
– Amos 5:11-12
The revealing of Jesus marks a different understanding of life, what it means to be human and how we relate with the God who made us.
We too had a similar confluence of themes Sunday. Though I was on retreat with the kiddos, something we do every year on MLK weekend. This was the first year, thankfully, that whilst playing the “dream” speech during the meal (with MLK’s picture up on the screen no less) that a kid didn’t say out loud “Why are we listening to this speech? Who is this?”
Ahh…silly white kids.
What a shame that Dr. King isn’t a hero for the “silly white kids” (like me) as he is for African-Americans. In a sense, he was a liberator of white folks, too. Jesus did say that liberation from wealth, apathy, and comfort was nearly impossible (the whole “eye of a needle” thing gets me every time), but MLK did it for some. Thank God.