SCRIPTURE: Multiple
DATE: 1-15-23
It’s an honor to be with you all today. Thank you to Jerome and the board of the Black Heritage Library and Multicultural Center for the invitation. Something I tell the congregation I have the joy of shepherding each time I’m before them are the words “God loves you. And I love you too.” I say these words because no one hears the words I love you enough. And no one hears the words God loves you enough either. So if you forget everything else I say today — I want you to know that God loves you. And that I love you too.
INTRODUCTION
Now I’m a pastor and preacher. I’m called to be a herald of God’s Word — someone who proclaims what God has said and elevates what God has said above all of the other voices who are saying a whole bunch of things about what it takes to be the beloved community that Dr. King envisioned. But King’s vision of the beloved community was birthed out of the same Word of God that I’m here to proclaim today — which makes my job much easier because Dr. King and I look to the same book and to the same God who authored this book as our guide on what it means to become and be a beloved community. And — as I speak of us becoming a more beloved community — please don’t interpret that to mean that I don’t love and appreciate our community of Findlay. In a call we had together, Jerome and I both shared our appreciation for our community. So this idea of becoming a more beloved community comes from someone who loves this community and wants to see her shine with more radiance and beauty than she already does.
Now something that struck me — as I read Why We Can’t Wait by Dr. King — is how we’ve lost the commitment that King envisioned for us — a commitment that he believed — and I believe — would unite us together so we become a more beloved community. What commitment am I referring to?
Every person who volunteered to be part of the non-violent army that King — and others — led in Birmingham, were required to sign a commitment card. And every volunteer had to commit to ten statements that were on the cards. And these ten statements of commitment — I think — if we commit ourselves to — no matter our race or gender or whatever else we’re told is to be a dividing wall of hostility between us — if we commit ourselves to these ten statements — expected of all serving in Birmingham in 1963 — that we’ll be well on our way towards being the beloved community King envisioned here in our community. Which probably makes you wonder: Well — then — what are these ten commitments?
Number one. Meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus.
Number two. Seek justice and reconciliation — not victory.
Number three. Walk and talk in the manner of love, for God is love.
Number four. Pray daily to be used by God in order that all men might be free.
Number five. Sacrifice personal wishes in order that all men might be free.
Number six. Observe with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy.
Number seven. Seek to perform regular service for others and for the world.
Number eight. Refrain from the violence of fist, tongue, or heart.
Number nine. Strive to be in good spiritual and bodily health.
Number ten. Follow the direction of the movement and the captain on a demonstration.
When Jerome and I talked to discuss this event — I mentioned these ten commitment statements and said, “Jerome, those will preach.” I’m a preacher, after all, not a politician. And — like King — I know whatever changes we hope to see in our community and beyond — that first and foremost a change of heart is what’s needed. For the heart of men and women has — and will always be — the target. Not only when it comes to the issues of racism and reconciliation — but for all of the brokenness we find in our community due to both the sin in each of us and the sin in our world.
So — journey with me — will you? And let’s catch a glimpse of Dr. King’s vision of what we can and must do if we want to be a more beloved community here in Findlay, Ohio.
COMMITMENT #1
Commitment number one. Meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus. Jesus taught, said, and did many things that disrupted the lives of those he encountered — especially those who were religious zealots. In fact, the more religious someone was — often — the harder time they had with Jesus’ teaching.
And this is just as true today as it was two thousand years ago. The most religiously zealous in our time have the most difficulty with the teachings and life of Jesus. “What do you mean, Josh?”
Well Jesus said, “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Yet we live in a culture dominated — not by mercy — but by judgment and cancellation. Internet and social media mobs only offer judgment — they offer no opportunity for restoration — they have no mercy. Do some people deserve to be judged? Absolutely! But we’re living in a time when students lose college scholarships because of something they tweeted as a 14 year old. Or the employee who shares an unwise joke on Facebook is forced to resign or is fired because of the internet mob. Being unwise isn’t a category we have today because we’d have to be merciful to interpret what they did as unwise and not as intentionally hateful, discriminatory, bigoted, or racist. But Jesus said God blesses those who are merciful. And the religiously zealous of our day have no room for mercy.
Jesus said radical things like, ““You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.” Does anyone in our culture today really live as if these words of Jesus are true? That there’s an eternal judgment awaiting those who hate and curse others? I ask — because — hatred and cursing abound on our social media feeds and news outlets.
What else did Jesus teach? He said, ““You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 So if your eye — even your good eye — causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your hand — even your stronger hand — causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” Want to upset the religiously dogmatic in our culture? Teach what Jesus said about sexual purity — that’ll upset folks these days. You see, it’s not just Christians who are religious. We live in a religiously zealous culture that the teachings of Jesus will greatly upset.
These are just a few snapshots of things Jesus taught which Dr. King suggests we meditate on daily. But what did Jesus do with his life? I’m sure you’ve heard of the miracles he did — healing the blind, lame, deaf, and mute. But — ultimately — what Jesus did with his life is give it up — on the cross — as a sacrifice for the sins of all who would turn to him in faith. What Dr. King knew — when it comes to us being a beloved community — is something that’s seemingly been forgotten by society. What’s that? It’s the fact that you can’t legislate morality. Oh — we try — and put laws in place that attempt to regulate morality, but ultimately morality — the things we do and say — including our view of people with skin color different than our own — is a heart issue. And we’re all in desperate need of a new heart. A heart we can’t give to ourselves — for it must be given to us.
Dr. King said something similar when he wrote, “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.” Even the laws we make are birthed out of the condition of the heart of those who make them. And we all — black, white, men, women, Republicans, and Democrats — we all need a new heart.
And the Spirit of God gives us the new heart we need when we turn to Christ in faith. Turning to him as our Savior — our Rescuer — our Liberator from the sin were born enslaved to. We’re to turn to Christ as our Lord — the One who tells us what truth is and what moral laws are. For Jesus is the One whose teaching we’re to submit ourselves to and who’s life we’re to imitate.
Now maybe you don’t think of yourself as a religious person and you’re wondering how any of this helps us become a more beloved community? Well — the apostle Paul tells us, “For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.”
In Paul’s day, Jews and Gentiles had erected a wall of hostility between each other. Similar to the wall of hostility between different groups in our nation’s history. But the Good News of Jesus Christ is that — in giving his life on the cross — those walls of hostility — that we have a hideous tendency of erecting — have been torn down. And it’s only through the teachings and life of Christ that we find the power to destroy the walls of hostility in our day and age so that we can be the beloved community Dr. King envisioned. Dr. King understood this and this is why it was the first commitment he asked of everyone who volunteered in Birmingham and is what I’m asking of us. For us to be a beloved community — we must commit to meditating daily on the teachings and life of Jesus.
COMMITMENT #2
Alright. I promise we won’t — because we can’t — spend as much time on the remaining nine commitments as we did on the first one. But the first commitment is the foundation for all of the others so it needs and deserves more time. Let’s move on to commitment number two — we’re to seek justice and reconciliation — not victory.
As the Old Testament prophet reminds us, “He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord really wants from you: He wants you to promote justice, to be faithful, and to live obediently before your God.”
Justice — biblically speaking — is “a concern to act rightly, and to be seen by others to act rightly. Divine justice embraces every aspect of the right ordering of human society according to the will of God, its creator.” This definition reminds us that — if we meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus — we will allow him and his Word define what we mean when we say that we’re seeking justice. And — according to God’s Word — to seek justice means we’re seeking to act rightly — or righteously — as well as seeking to order our community according to the will of God because he is our Creator.
So be very careful when having conversations about justice. For example, what’s being meant by the word “justice” in your conversation? For if we allow anyone or anything else to define for us what the word justice means and what we’re to be seeking in being just — then we’ll fail to become the beloved community that Dr. King envisioned. King famously wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” But the justice he was referring to is biblical justice. Not the poor definitions of justice that are being thrown around left and right in our time. For to be just is to be righteous. And to be righteous means to be right with God. And — though many assume they’re right with God — King’s first commitment reminds us that God defines for us what a right relationship with him is — not us. Not a political party. Not an organization that sells itself as promoting justice in our country. If they don’t align with God’s definition of justice and righteousness — whatever justice they’re fighting for is not the justice that King wants us fighting for. For — as the prophet Amos tells us — a prophet Dr. King loved to quote, “I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.”
Similarly, the word reconciliation — remember — we’re to seek justice and reconciliation — reconciliation — according to Jesus and his Word — is “the restoration of fellowship between God and humanity and the resulting restoration of human relationships.”
The apostle Paul writes it this way — and this is lengthy — but a beautiful and moving way to describe how these first two commitments come together. Paul writes, “Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord (that’s Jesus), we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. 12 Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart (there’s the heart again). 13 If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. 16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”
For our human relationships to experience reconciliation our relationship with God first needs to be reconciled. For — ultimately — and as I’ve previously said — reconciliation between different groups in our nation is first and foremost a heart issue. And all of our broken relationships with each other are an expression of — and are caused by — our broken relationship with God. Thus our relationship with God is the priority. And as we’re reconciled with him we’ll find the power needed for reconciliation in our relationships with each other and make both justice and reconciliation a priority for our community.
Now — I know I’ve said some potentially irritating statements about reconciliation. Statements you may not agree with if you’re not a follower of Jesus. And I did this intentionally because of this second commitment and what I see in our nation today. Though many claim to be fighting for justice — few are fighting for reconciliation. And most — if they’d only be honest — are fighting for a victory — the very thing Dr. King said we’re not to seek!
Why shouldn’t we seek victory? Because if you’re seeking justice and reconciliation you can’t have enemies. For the very people that we’d usually categorize as an enemy are the very people that justice and reconciliation force us to step into a relationship with. If you and I agree on everything — there’s no reconciliation needed. It’s only when there are differences — even disagreements — that justice and reconciliation can be sought.
But we’re living in a hyper-dogmatic culture these days. You’re either on the right side of history or you’re canceled. If the Twitter mob comes after you — you’ll lose the scholarship, lose your job, or whatever victory the mob is demanding. For that’s what is being sought — victory — not justice — and definitely not reconciliation. But for us to be the beloved community that King envisioned — we must seek justice and reconciliation — not victory. One of my life resolutions is “to not have to win every argument or conversation.” I’m quick witted, read a lot, and my brain tends to fire a bit faster with responses than others — so I can win and be victorious. And it wins no one over. I get a victory — but not justice. I can score victory after victory and never experience reconciliation. I can so easily lead us away from being a beloved community — and so can you — if we’re focused on victories instead of seeking justice and reconciliation.
COMMITMENT #3
Let’s keep going — looking very briefly at the remaining commitments. Number three. Walk and talk in the manner of love, for God is love.
“God is love” isn’t too controversial these days. Everyone loves love. But the apostle John — who originally wrote the words “God is love” — wrote them in this context. “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love — not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.”
Once again it’s God’s love for us — as displayed in the life and death of Jesus — that defines for us what love is and what it means for us to walk and talk in a manner of love. For the manner we’re to imitate is that of Jesus. And how did he first love us — how did Jesus first love you? He gave his life for you — in love — so that you might find freedom from sin and now live for him.
COMMITMENT #4
Which leads us to commitment number four. Pray daily to be used by God in order that all men might be free. Do you pray? If you do pray — how often do you pray for people to be free? To experience not only the freedoms promised in our country’s founding documents — but that they might experience the freedom Christ accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection?
COMMITMENT #5
Then — as commitment number five — reminds us: sacrifice personal wishes in order that all men might be free. Pray — and then be the answer to your prayer. Don’t allow prayer to be something like liking or retweeting something on social media. Liking that post on social media about justice isn’t really a sacrifice. I guess it’s better than nothing, but we’ve been duped into believing that we’ve done something when all we’ve done is appease our conscience with a click instead of actually making a sacrifice.
The apostle Paul reminds us, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Don’t be selfish — we’re told. Take an interest in what’s best for others. Why? Because this is what Jesus did for you. In reading Why We Can’t Wait, one of King’s statements that struck me was this. “I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride towards freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tenstion to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action’; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a ‘more convenient season.’ Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.” Earlier in the book he writes, “The ultimate tragedy of Birmingham was not the brutality of the bad people, but the silence of the good people.”
He’s basically saying, “I’d rather you be a blatant racist than to display apathy when it comes to reconciliation.” And how many of us are apathetic when it comes to justice, to reconciliation, to being a more beloved community? I know the temptation of apathy — it’s so alluring. But lukewarmness is not looked fondly of in Scripture. In fact — returning to the teachings of Jesus — he said lukewarmness makes him want to throw up.
COMMITMENT #6
Number six. Observe with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy. Being courteous — another artform lost in our modern day — but oh if we practiced these commitments. If we did, we’d dedicate ourselves to, “See[ing] that no one pays back evil for evil, [instead we’ll] always try to do good to each other and to all people.” We’d “get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Even as we debate and discuss the state of our country, racism, CRT, systemic racism, Black Lives Matter, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, or whatever the topic that usually causes us to lose our minds and forget all about being courteous. Imagine with me — the beloved community we’d be if we practiced the ordinary rules of courtesy.
COMMITMENT #7
Number seven. Seek to perform regular service for others and for the world. Much has already been said about praying, being the answer to our prayers, being courteous, and so on — these all fit into regularly serving others. The only thing to add to this commitment are two reminders from Dr. King. He writes, “The fact that different organizations place varying degrees of emphasis on certain tactical approaches is not indicative of disunity. Unity has never meant uniformity.” There are many different ways to serve our community and to seek justice and reconciliation. We all tend to have a way or two that fits our personality, experiences, or life situation better than others. Instead of allowing diversity of approaches to be divisive, can we celebrate the many ways in which others are helping us be a more beloved community even though it may not be “our way”? As King writes, “Unity has never meant uniformity.”
Additionally, he writes, “If our drive was to be successful, we must involve the students of the community.” Parents, church leaders, organizational directors and boards, government leaders — we must involve the next generation if we want to experience King’s vision of a beloved community in our city. What are some ways the next generation might have a voice and real influence in the work you’re doing to help us be a more beloved community?
COMMITMENT #8
Number eight. Refrain from the violence of fist, tongue, or heart. This commitment — once again — takes us back to the first — meditating on the teachings and life of Jesus and the new heart we’re all in desperate need of. Refrain from the violence of the fist — this includes both those protesting and those in authority called to protect all citizens of our community. But that’s the obvious violence, isn’t it? Social media and the news love to grab our attention with this kind of violence — whether it be looters or police brutality. Peaceful protesters and honest cops don’t get as many clicks like the headlines pointing us to violence do.
But what about violence of the tongue and heart? We’ve already talked about being courteous — and this definitely involves the use of our tongues. Those pesky parts of our body that James — the younger brother of Jesus says, “If we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. 3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. 7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.”
James tells us that we humans are pretty incredible. We’ve learned how to steer large ships with a tiny rudder. We can make horses go wherever we want by putting a small bit in their mouth. We’ve tamed all kinds of animals, put them on display in zoos for us to marvel at — we’re talking about lions and tigers, bears and sharks, and the most deadly animals on the planet — we’ve put them behind glass.
Yet we can’t control this tiny little part of our body — and there’s nothing like it in all of creation. For tigers do what tigers do. Sharks do what sharks do. Fires do what fires do. Fresh water springs produce fresh water — not salt water. Orange trees produce oranges and apple trees produce apples. But this part of our body produces both blessings and curses. With our tongues we praise God and with it we spew venom at men and women who God created in his image. And this is not good! This is evil and it shows us that we have a heart problem.
How so? Well Jesus connects what we say to our hearts, when he said, “For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. 36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.””
When it comes to the violence of our words — that display a violence of our hearts — especially when it comes to racial reconciliation in our country — man have we produced some bad fruit. And we’d all be wise to pause and consider whether or not the words we speak — and post on social media — reveal a violence of our heart that needs to be submitted to Christ.
COMMITMENT #9
Commitment number nine. Strive to be in good spiritual and bodily health. The apostle Paul writes, ““Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 9 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. 10 This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers.”
This struggle in our nation — to be a more beloved community — has been ongoing for hundreds of years. We’re pushing 60 years since Dr. King led the protests in Birmingham, Alabama. And that means we must have endurance — physical endurance and spiritual endurance — physical health and spiritual health. Are you taking care of your physical health so you’re available and able to help us be a more beloved community? Are you taking care of your spiritual health so you’re available and able to help us be a more beloved community?
COMMITMENT #10
And — finally — number ten. Follow the direction of the movement and the captain on a demonstration. There’s a fight going on in our nation for who will be the movement that leads our nation towards being a more beloved community. And not all of these individuals and organizations are committed to the statements we’ve been looking at. Many blatantly oppose the commitments we’ve been remembering today. So — the question for us is — who will we follow the direction of when it comes to reconciliation, justice, and us being a more beloved community?
This decision is not new to our generation. Dr. King saw the same decision in the 1960s as many were seeking others to follow as they had grown impatient with King’s nonviolent and Christian-based philosophy of leadership. He writes, “Nourished by the Negro’s frustration over the continued existence of racial discrimination, this movement is made up of people who have lost faith in America, who have absolutely repudiated Christianity, and who have concluded that the white man is an incorrigible ‘devil.’”
There’s quite a bit of that going around in our day. Frustration growing into people losing faith in America, finding delight in being critical of nearly everything about our country — and critical of Christianity. And the white man — me — and men like me — well we’re the devil these days. And know that these views are not godly, nor are they God-honoring and — in fact — they’re straight from the pit of Hell.
I say this not to excuse or be untruthful about America’s history — or specifically — racism in our nation — racism by people who look like me. I say this to remind those of us who follow Christ that he’s the Director of the movement of reconciliation — he’s the Captain of his people — the Church — and we’re to follow him in being reconcilers and peace-makers in our community.
Again — nearly 60 years ago — Dr. King wrote these words that are as true today as they were then. He writes, “So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church’s silent — and often even vocal — sanction of things as they are.”
CONCLUSION
If you consider yourself to be a Christian — then you’re part of the church. And my question to you — to me — to us — is will we lead the way in reconciliation in our community? Church leaders, will we lead our congregations to be reconcilers and peace-makers in our community?
How do we lead the way? I think Dr. King has shown us the way. The church can lead our community towards becoming a more beloved community as we meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus. As we lead our congregations to seek justice and reconciliation — not victory. As we lead our congregations to walk and talk in the manner of love, for God is love. And to pray daily to be used by God as we sacrifice personal wishes in order that all men might be free. The church can lead our community towards becoming a more beloved community if we demonstrate what it means to observe with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy and seek to perform regular service for others and for the world. As we lead our congregations towards refraining from the violence of fist, tongue, or heart — and what we post on social media. As we strive to be in good spiritual and bodily health. And as we follow the direction of the One who is the Head of the movement of justice and reconciliation — the One who is the Captain whose lead we’re to follow — Jesus Christ.
Fellow citizens of this beloved community — will we commit ourselves to being the vision Dr. King had for us? I hope we will. For it will be for all of our good and for the glory of God. Let’s pray.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, for your glory and our good give us the hearts we need to be a beloved community. Spirit of God, empower us with your love for all people and unite us together as a beloved community. And, Jesus, we thank you for tearing down the walls of hostility by your sacrifice on the cross. May we follow your lead — for you are our Captain of reconciliation and our Savior. In your name we pray. Amen.