A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, 5, and Ryan, 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, “Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.” Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus!”
In my childhood there was a man who lived the gospel. This man took to heart Jesus’ words that the sum of the commandments was to love God and love your neighbor as yourself. He understood this teaching as compelling us to confront racism, violence and oppression in our society. That man was Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. King’s theology and worldview had much in common with our UU tradition. He understood the call to salvation to require emphasis of liberation and emancipation. Martin understood that, as Cornel West later explained “justice is love in the public sphere.” Dr. King listened to divine calling, to the cries of oppressed people, to the yearning for justice & dignity for all and to his conscience.
King’s words and life were a teaching of love. His faith told him that the same force that called the ancient Hebrews out of slavery was calling and leading humanity to let go of the remnants of slavery. He believe humanity has reached the time that it needed to come together and unite for justice and a better world for everyone. His faith, courage, his dream and his actions have inspired millions.
King popularized the term “beloved Community.” The term was first used by theologian and Harvard Philosophy professor Josiah Royce. Royce emphasized that community gave meaning to life. He spoke of human unity. He wrote of a beloved community “made up of all those who were dedicated to the cause of loyalty and truth.” King added to the phrase his dream of a world united in (sister and) brotherhood to no longer tolerate racism, poverty or injustice.
Dr. King’s friend Thich Nhat Hahn expanded the concept further to include all forms of life. Hanh wrote: “When I heard the news, (of King’s murder), I was devastated. I could not eat. I could not sleep. I made a deep vow to continue building what he called the Beloved Community, not only for myself but for him also.”
Traditionally, Unitarians and Universalists were part of the Social Gospel movement and like King believed Jesus’ invitation to God’s kingdom meant social as well as individual salvation. King adhered to the Social Gospel, seeking justice, tending to human needs as the way shown by Jesus.
King believed that love and nonviolence were the way to make beloved community a reality. He suffered hatred, criticisms, threats, beatings, arrests and violence, and responded with love, dignity and nonviolence.
How did he do that?! I mean really, how did he do it? When I was in seminary I was on fire to preach and live the social gospel. I had an editorial column and repeatedly found myself on TV. Then I was excluded from the UU ministry from which I had prepared. Compared to what King faced, it was a small censure, and I never spoke so boldly again. I have many times faced situations where I imagined that if I didn’t speak up no one would. Often, I have experienced it as an incredible burden. “Why do I always have to be the one? I think that I’ve worked so hard to gain influence, and if I speak up will lose favor. I’ve imagined that I would again be put out of the circle.” Sometimes I have acted bravely. Mostly I have proceeded with caution, weighing the risks.
King lived through numerous death threats. He faced a constant barrage of hate. He didn’t back down. As his understanding of the oppression of black people grew, he took more controversial stands. He already faced tremendous hate for his leadership in the civil rights movement. Then his conscience led him to express his objection to the American War in Vietnam. He was called traitor and communist. American racism frequently has been a reaction to a black man challenging his caste. Frequently it has been said “we can’t let a Negro (or “the” N word) can’t get away with that. King was soon shot, killed in Memphis. He had gone there in solidarity with Sanitation Workers Union after two workers had been killed.
Dr. King was not a saint. He had flaws. His detractors have hauled King’s every flaw into the public eye. They succeeded only in proving that a real human, not a superhuman hero had shown this world a love that hate and even murder could not kill.
Dr. King suggested that when we act selfishly or from hate, we suffer from the worst kind of spiritual poverty, estrangement and lack of consciousness of divine love. To any for whom the term “divine love” carries no weight, I would suggest a humanist translation: Selfishness and hate produce a spiritual poverty, a lack of consciousness of kinship with all life, a lack of appreciation of interdependence, being part of the web of existence. Martin understood interdependence. He said “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
He expressed love and concern for people who fall prey to the most virulent forms of hate. He expressed love and concern for those of us who ignore our privilege and numb ourselves to the pain of participating in a system that degrades and oppresses. Martin showed how to follow Jesus instruction to “love our enemies.”
He acted upon his faith rather than his fear. His words and deeds inspired the nation and the world.
Who remembers that night in 2008 when Barack Obama became the first African American to be elected president? I remember the cameras on the tear- filled faces of Congressman John Lewis and former presidential candidate Jesse Jackson. These men had been in the streets with Martin.
Lewis had been beaten; his skull broken. The election of a Black American to the highest office in our nation was a payoff for labor and sacrifices made in the 60’s, the 50’s and back much further.
Backlash came quickly and furiously. A hatred that was simmering beneath the surface of society began boiling.
In 2010 Donald Trump began his bid for US presidency using the National Enquirer to promote Birther conspiracies. These outrageous conspiracies were easily disproved. Facts didn’t matter. The strategy succeeded in creating doubt in people’s minds about the legality of Obama’s presidency. It also furthered the false association of Obama as foreigner, and helped spread the idea that our country was being taken over by foreigner. Trump’s exploitation and promotion of Islamaphobia and xenophobia helped become the 45th president. Membership and violence of white supremacy groups soared.
With rights being taken away and violence flourishing, it might be tempting to conclude that the work of the past has been lost. It may seem that the problems are too big and too many. What good can we do?
Actually, I like that question said differently: “What good can we do?” This national holiday honoring Martin Luther King is the perfect time to reflect on a man who had faith in the force of love, a mighty force. We might say a divine or heavenly force that can make a way out of no way!
One of the most cited King quotations is “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” King took a paragraph written in 1853 from Unitarian Minister and abolitionist Theodore Parker. He tighten it and gave it to the world.
Another powerful quotation- for me personally -came from a physical therapist who coached me after my truck encounter. She said that “people think that recovery is a straight line. It never is.”
I believe that every time we invite and reach for the beloved community, we move closer to the day it will be real for everyone. Every time we dare to nurture our vision of a better world, we are performing a miracle. Every time we expend some of our energy striving for justice with love in our heart, we bring divine order into this world.
I have previously shared the Jewish tradition of doing good deeds, making donations or dedicating some project to the honor of someone of blessed memory. This is what is meant by “may their memory be FOR a blessing.”
Honor King by carrying on his legacy! Studying King is great! Observing the holiday is a wonderful idea. Taking inspiration, deciding and acting for the Beloved Community, that is priceless! In your order of service, I shared a list of ways to carry on King’s legacy. Please consider it. Add your own.
Side with love for LGBTQIA+ community members, for immigrants, for any and all oppressed people. Listen and learn from people with disabilities. Find a way to increase inclusion. Made the circle wider!
Support TXUUJM. Join in efforts to protect democracy from undue influence of Big Pharma and corporation lobbyists. Support KerrConnect. Do these things or others in the spirit of love!
King’s last speech has come to be known as his “Promised Land” address. In it, it seemed as if he knew the fate that awaited him. It’s eerie and awesome. He had overcome fear of death. His faith and commitment to the movement remained strong and unwavering to the end. His words reverberated with the power of his faith, his humility and with the love that made him Martin Luther King Jr.
Like King we might accept that we that we may not personally reach the promised land. Many of the most important tasks won’t be completed in our lifetimes. But oh, that we might be blessed with some of Martin’s faith, courage, love or wisdom! We certainly can know the blessing of serving something larger than us. We can develop a beloved community mindset that transforms unjust systems. We can show love. We can bring love and give love. Then we will know love. We will be guided by love. And we will change the world by giving what is ours to give.
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