In his address to the tenth anniversary convention of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered these words: “Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.”
Today, January 15, the Christian church commemorates the life and witness of Dr. King on the day of his birth in 1929. Deeply grounded in his faith in Jesus, the embodiment of God’s love for all people, Dr. King proclaimed God’s vision of justice, calling God’s people to nonviolent action and advocacy, always rooted in love.
Even as we commemorate Dr. King’s witness, we confess the sin of racism, a sin that still infects our nation, our communities, our churches, and our relationships with God and with one another. We pray for God’s mercy and we ask God to recommit us, God’s people, to intentional listening and learning, as well as to nonviolent action and advocacy on behalf of all those in our communities who continue to suffer injustice at the hands of others. We pray that, by God’s Holy Spirit, we, together with Dr. King, might boldly live out our baptismal promise “to strive for justice and peace in all the earth,” doing so in a way that reflects the love of God made real for all in Jesus.
Let us pray. Holy and righteous God, you created us in your image. Grant us grace to contend fearlessly against evil and to make no peace with oppression. Help us, like your servant, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to work for justice among people and nations, to the glory of your name, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.