One of my traditions over the years was to preach on, or about Dr. Martin Luther King on his birthday weekend. One year, the weather was horrible and very few people came to church, so at the last minute we decided to invite random parishioners to read selections from King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. It was one of the most powerful Sunday worship services that I have been a part of. If you have never read it, I highly suggest you take the time. But be warned, it is a damning letter to those of us in the white Christian privileged community. His words ring true today as much as they did when he wrote them in April of 1963. Today at church, the pastor shared a sermon that was centered around Martin, and I appreciated being reminded of another great speech of his that is often forgotten: The Drum Major Instinct. Martin invites us to ponder and ruminate over what we want to be remembered for. He gave that sermon in February of 1968, we all know what happened just a few months later in Memphis.
Right now, we are on another one of our “cancel culture” silliness campaigns. A while ago, it was reported in the media that gas stoves are dangerous and there might (and I emphasize that it is only a MIGHT) be a plan of banning gas stoves in the future. OMG you would have thought the world was coming to an end for some people. It brought out all those who screamed about a private company coming to the realization that their brand was racist (which it was) and they needed to change their image. Can you imagine if they decided to try pass seat belt laws today?? Or stop cigarette ads? We would all go crazy and lose our minds. Or if they decided to ban regular gas because it was more harmful to the environment, oh wait, they did.. I love gas stoves, I prefer a gas stove, but recognizing that most houses do not have adequate ventilation (or we don’t use it) is a good thing to be reminded how potentially dangerous they can be. I am thankful that there are people out there who are trying to make our lives safer (and also trying to save us from destroying our planet).
A number of times when I have preached about MLK I have quoted from his sermons. When I quote from someone's material I try not to change it, although if I am honest, sometimes I do. But this particular time I quoted Martin using the n-word. For me, it seemed important to acknowledge that once upon a time it was a common word to use, and that we have moved beyond it. But hearing that word, I think, in context, can help us understand better how powerfully negative it could be.
Following the service, I got reamed out by a young person. They were offended that I used that particular word. I tried to explain that I didn’t use the word, but that Martin did and he was trying to show how disgusting it is. It didn't matter, in their mind I needed to be canceled. I took their concern seriously, and I don’t know what I would do in the future, but I certainly don’t want the word canceled from the historical record. It is a reminder of how thoroughly we denigrate our brothers and sisters.
A lot has changed since 1968, but a lot has stayed the same. We still tend to put people into boxes to identify them. We still tend to try and better ourselves, at the expense of others. I am grateful for Dr. Martin Luther King: he set a model for me to attempt to follow in my life. One of the most humbling experiences of my life happened after the floods that devastated Northwest Indiana in 2008. At a North District United Methodist meeting, the district superintendent singled me out for my role in LARRI (you can learn about it here), the flood recovery group I was a part of from 2008-2011. She called me the Martin Luther King of the area, because we were seeking justice for our neighbors who were devastated by the floods. I am no MLK, but to be even mentioned in the same breath reminds me of my Drum Major Instinct. My prayer is that Dr. King will continue to influence each of us to strive to become our best self. Peace my friends.
Abraham, Martin & John by Dion
This is a great version by Tom Clay
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