MLK Monument
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington was dedicated by President Obama on Oct. 16, 2011. (Photo by Maile Bradfield, UMNS.)
This week we celebrated a man by the name of Martin Luther King Jr. As well we should, since he is a true American hero. But even more than the man, we do well to lift up our voices in celebration of his vision for America, one informed and mirrored by the Christian gospel that he preached.
His was a vision for the well-being of what he called “the beloved community” – a term that sprang forth from his commitment to the Christian church as a beloved community – but extended in meaning to include a protected and nurtured and peaceful and just beloved community of poor, rich, middle-class, Black, white, Christian, non-Christian, and every other kind of people.
Martin Luther King started out with a focus on a specific problem in America – the enduring scandal of racism. But the deeper he went in leading the movement to end segregation, the more clearly he saw that racism was connected to all the other scourges that afflict not just America but the other nations and peoples of the world. He saw that all Americans are connected, interdependent – and that the world is interconnected – and that an injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere. So a vision of the beloved community of peace and justice and compassion began to form in his heart and in his mind. He did not live long enough to express it fully, much less complete his part of the task of making it real in the world.
It’s up to us to express that vision, and turn it into reality. For those of us who identify as Christians, this is what we’re called to do: to lift every voice and sing that vision, and lift our hands to work to bring it to fulfillment. Our faith lifts each of us up to speak truth to power: remember the Magnificat of Mary that we read at Christmas!
For the anti-woke crowd, for the folks who wish things were like they used to be, in what they think were the good old days, MLK Day ought to be a wake-up call. Because we’re celebrating much more than a man. We’re celebrating a vision, and we’re committing to fulfill it. And it’s not about making America great again – as if how it used to be was as great as it ever ought to be. What makes America great is the vision and the tireless effort of Americans like you and me, making things much better than they are or ever were. More just, more peaceful, more in harmony with the earth, more compassionate. More beautiful!
So may the voices of each and every one of us be lifted up, to share with those around us a vision of the beloved community. I challenge you to come up with one – write it down, even – and repeat it to yourself so you will be able to repeat it to others. A positive vision – not a put down of the perspectives of others. A vision that rises above any kind of partisanship. Not that partisanship is a bad thing – it’s necessary, actually – but we need a vision that invites and inspires others, regardless of their preconceived notions and opinions. MLK’s emerging vision was bigger than those of either political party at the time. And challenging to them both, as a consequence!
Those of us who are Christian ought to follow his example, in terms for our time. Jesus had a vision of the beloved community, which he expressed succinctly in his Sermon on the Mount. Every generation must come up with its own.
Here's my short version of such a vision:
Let us make America a city on a hill and a light to the nations. We protect the poor and the middle-class with a strong public “safety net” guaranteeing health and basic income, paid for by progressive taxation; we take effective action to fight climate change; we curb the power of moneyed special interests; we celebrate and protect our diversity in its many forms, assuring equality and dignity for all; we protect the right to reproductive choice; we protect democracy from its current threats in order to make it better reflect the will of the majority of people while assuring representation for differing perspectives; we regulate private enterprise so it can thrive on a level playing field while protecting consumers and the environment; and we avoid the use of military force unless it is absolutely necessary and only in concert with other democratic nations... so that we may form a more perfect union!
What's your vision for the beloved community?