“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” is something I so strongly believe. There is no doubt in my mind that God called Dr. King to be a light to all the nations, not just to black folks in America. It was after King started protesting the Vietnam war and marching to Washington for poor folks everywhere--when he started focusing on economic justice and peace for all-- that he was assassinated. I believe it is crucial that we do not belittle the work of King by focusing only on his work for the civil rights of black people. He was equally committed to advocating for all the poor and marginalized as well as opposing war. In his very last sermon given in Memphis shortly before he died “The Drum Major Instinct”, a sermon that some have referred to as his eulogy, he analyzes the human desire for greatness, “Nations are caught up with the drum major instinct. I must be first. I must be supreme. Our nation must rule the world. And I am sad to say that the nation in which we live is the supreme culprit. And I’m going to continue to say it to America, because I love this country too much to see the drift that it has taken.” Does anyone wonder what he would say about our country today?

Who shall I send? Who will go for me? Just as God called King, God is calling to each of us today. Martin was a human being, a person of strength and vision as well as weaknesses and vulnerabilities. If we believe that he was somehow fundamentally greater than or different from who we are, then we render ourselves unable to follow his example, to answer the call that God is calling us to fulfill.

King’s reading of scripture informed him that the preservation of economic prosperity as well as civil rights for one group by structurally oppressing another group—whether they were black or poor, was seriously wrong. In speaking truth to power, King was giving voice to what the gospel proclaims as true. In other words he was following Jesus. We are called by the fact that we are Christian to do the same. God is calling us to love each other and to work for justice and peace just as he called Martin. It’s not easy, but the world can be changed through the love Jesus teaches. Dr. King said in that last sermon that he didn’t know what would happen next, probably a lot of difficult days ahead. Even though he would have preferred a long life, his biggest concern was to do God’s will. Let me quote from that last sermon, “And God has allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I have seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.”

Sisters and brothers here at Deering Community Church, it is up to us, each and every one of us here this morning to answer God’s call to bring about the kingdom, the Promised Land. Every vocation, every call has to begin somewhere. It’s time now for each of us to find, not another bus seat to sit in, not another garbage collector’s strike to organize and lead, not another letter from a Birmingham jail to write, but to listen to God’s calling and figure out how we can best respond. Where are we in that web of mutuality that King talked about? Can we too see and acknowledge the interconnectedness of the diverse struggles against racism, militarism, and economic exploitation? May we be inspired by Dr. King and take our place in this web of justice and peace .

Can we say as King said in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, “I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway…I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality…I believe that even amid today’s mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow….I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits.” And even more important, can you say today that with the help of God, you will answer God’s call to do your part in bringing peace with justice to all humankind? There is a special task waiting for you. God bless MLK and God bless us and guide us today and forever more. Amen and Amen