Remembering MLK Jr
Today many businesses are closed in rememberance of the life and service of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the most famous leader of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Dr. King's final sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA, "The Drum Major Instinct", delivered on Febuary 4, 1968, is a terrific example of his oratory prowess and his ability to inspire and preach the Gospel in practical terms.
And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's a new definition of greatness.
And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.
Image credit: Public Domain, US National Park Service
