MLK Sunday Reflection

Stained glass at First Church of the Brethren - former home to MLK's office on Chicago's West Side.

 

Remember, Celebrate, Act.

This was the theme of this year's annual joint MLK service with the three congregations that meet next door to Faith House: Chicago Community Mennonite Church, First Church of the Brethren, and La Iglesia Cristiana Roca de la Esperanza.  This service is multi-generational, multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-traditional, and multi-lingual.  It is filled with beautiful music, shared Christian faith, and concludes with a multi-congregational potluck lunch.  My housemate James played a beautiful arrangement of Amazing Grace for the offertory.

I had the privilege to attend this joint service last year, and looked forward to it again this year.  The communal grace extended to individuals in the work of on-the-spot language translation, the sharing and hearing of personal stories, and the unbidden, simple act of solidarity shown by congregants placing their offering into multiple baskets and baskets other than their own congregation's.

It is never a flawless service.  Even though lovingly and carefully planned, it never flows perfectly.  There are moments of confusion and awkwardness.  Sometimes phrases just do not translate right, from English to Spanish or Spanish to English.  Sometimes contemporary Christian praise and worship music, a cappella hymn singing in 4-parts, and traditional black gospel rhythm are not quite picked up by those to whom they are unfamiliar.  However, I am always moved by the commitment to King's dream seen in this service, commitment inspired by Jesus' life of inclusion and embracing those who are different as family members in the body of Christ and body of humanity.

Tonight I will also go to church with my housemate Sarah and hear her give her reflection on Love as an action, and how Loving is not only at the root of Christian belief, but also practice.  No act of love is too small to be significant, we are all in need of love and we are all able, by the grace of God, to provide small needed acts of love to one another.

For it is as Martin Luther King observed, we have come to realize that our freedom is inextricably bound together.  We cannot walk alone.