Today’s Word Is … EQUAL

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the USA, declared so by President Reagan in 1983. King was born Jan. 15, 1929 and was shot and killed 52 years ago on April 4, 1968. Like many people, it is for me a day of reflecting about his legacy. Somehow there is something ominous and significant about MLK Day and today’s date … January 20, 2020.

I grew up in small towns in Tennessee and Virginia, and being the son of a pastor, somehow I escaped much exposure to various forms of prejudice. My father was as close to being purely unprejudiced as anyone I ever knew. He befriended everyone, and the churches he pastored often had people from other cultures than our own. This was probably unusual in the 1950’s and 60’s.

My first real encounter with the shunning of someone of a different skin color came in college. My black friend, and frequent meal-mate in the dining hall, described rejection he had experienced. It bothered me that skin color mattered in evaluating someone. After he told me this, I began to notice that when he and I shared a table for supper, a few people would watch us. Rarely did someone come and join us at our table for eight. It made me even more determined to retain and develop this friendship, and to expand my “other culture” circle of friends, Black, Hispanic, Asian, etc.

MLK had just the right combination of a passion for equality and an insistence on non-violence in pursuit of it, the reason being that both of those qualities were based on the Bible. I have visited the Historic Ebenezer Church in Atlanta, home church and burial site of MLK. One time I stood in the pulpit where he preached in the Dexter Avenue Church in Montgomery, AL, and raising my hands, I said, “I have a dream!” That’s all I could get out, as tears began to flow. More recently, I made friends with Dr. Albert Brinson, who as a young person was befriended and partially raised by the Rev. Martin King, Sr. family; and who eventually walked alongside Dr. King, Jr. in many freedom marches. His stories were always fascinating and sometimes tragic.

I had more than one person during my early pastorates who told me they couldn’t help being prejudiced, because they were “raised that way.” The only answer I could think of was … “in my Bible, prejudice is sin.”

I am thankful for all persons of every race and culture who have helped us to move closer to a day in which hatred and racial prejudice will have been put aside. Or as Dr. King put it …

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’” – (from his “I Have a Dream” Speech on Aug 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial)

I pray that no one will be prejudiced against you for being who you are, and that you will join others in rising above prejudice. I also pray that you will forgive people who are prejudiced against you, because forgiveness is taught in the Bible, and unforgiveness is just as wrong as prejudice.

If you think about it, the parable of the Good Samaritan is not just about helping others, it is about racial/cultural prejudice. A priest and a Levite passed by a wounded man on the road, possibly because they did not know the person and feared robbers might overtake them if they stopped to help. But also, not knowing whether the man might actually be dead already, these official leaders knew that touching a dead body would make them “unclean.” The hero of the story was a “foreigner” from Samaria, not of pure Jewish blood, and thus hated by the Jews.

This story would have been “offensive” to the audience Jesus was addressing. But clearly, he was teaching them that prejudice is “offensive” to God! To rid ourselves of prejudice, it is good to make a conscious declaration to ourselves and to God that we will not harbor prejudice. But to take that a step further, why not make an action plan! Visit a church of a different culture. Befriend someone of a different color at work, school, or wherever. Perhaps invite them to dinner at your home or a restaurant. I’m sure you can think of something. And if you do so, would you report back to me how it went?

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Prayer for the Day:

Gracious God, I know that you are the creator of every man, woman, and child on this earth. We are a variety of colors and cultures. May I never think of my culture as being superior to any other, and may my words and deeds reflect your love for every person. Forgive my past thoughts and acts of prejudice. Show me someone today who is racially different from me and who might be surprised to hear my words of affirmation of their value. If there is anyone from whom I should ask for forgiveness, give me the courage to do just that. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.