Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Martin Luther King Jr.Day
Ryan Jacob
Long Island MTC, NY
24 But let justice roll down like waters, and
righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
As today marks the celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, we should reflect upon the world as it is now. In a time where violence is often the headline and the vehicle used as the exclamation point for speech, I am reminded both of Christ and of Dr. King. They both brought change to a world that only resisted.
Christ entered Jerusalem with crowds excitedly anticipating his arrival. They believed that He was the King that would liberate them and unite the people. But His arrival did not come at the head of armies. Christ came to bring the most radical change to man. If so desired, God could have commanded our obedience and love. But instead, Christ was sent so that the peace won would be everlasting.
Similarly, it would have been easy for Dr. King to incite people to a violent and radical movement of change, but he saw a broader perspective. “But in spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones.”
Verse 24 encompasses what Dr. King was seeking through nonviolence. He believed that only through the weapon of nonviolence could they” implement the just law by appealing to the conscience of the great majority… who have allowed their consciences to sleep.” His ultimate goal for all people was peace forged in justice and righteousness.
It would be very easy for us to simply forget the meaning of today and enjoy a day off that many of us have. But with the backdrop of violence cloaked in the facade of change that has been prominent recently, our words and actions should not be reactionary impulses, rather reflective of the grace of God shown through the love of Christ. As Dr. King said, love is the key to the solution of the problems of the world.
As today marks the celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, we should reflect upon the world as it is now. In a time where violence is often the headline and the vehicle used as the exclamation point for speech, I am reminded both of Christ and of Dr. King. They both brought change to a world that only resisted.
Christ entered Jerusalem with crowds excitedly anticipating his arrival. They believed that He was the King that would liberate them and unite the people. But His arrival did not come at the head of armies. Christ came to bring the most radical change to man. If so desired, God could have commanded our obedience and love. But instead, Christ was sent so that the peace won would be everlasting.
Similarly, it would have been easy for Dr. King to incite people to a violent and radical movement of change, but he saw a broader perspective. “But in spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones.”
Verse 24 encompasses what Dr. King was seeking through nonviolence. He believed that only through the weapon of nonviolence could they” implement the just law by appealing to the conscience of the great majority… who have allowed their consciences to sleep.” His ultimate goal for all people was peace forged in justice and righteousness.
It would be very easy for us to simply forget the meaning of today and enjoy a day off that many of us have. But with the backdrop of violence cloaked in the facade of change that has been prominent recently, our words and actions should not be reactionary impulses, rather reflective of the grace of God shown through the love of Christ. As Dr. King said, love is the key to the solution of the problems of the world.
PRAYER
Father, we pray that You
would bring peace to the world. As anger and hatred consumes the hearts of
many, we pray that You would replace it with Your love. In Your heavenly
name. Amen
THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY:
Christ came to change the world through bloodshed…His own.
Christ came to change the world through bloodshed…His own.