Embodying Love and Justice: Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Bible Study Guide
Sermon Clips
"Worship is a choice. It's a choice to ascribe to God what he's worth. Ascribe to him the glory, let's do his name. And we do that by choosing to focus on him and putting aside all of our other concerns. So can we make that choice right now, online as well? Whatever else you got going on today, it will be there when the service is done. But right now, let's ascribe to God what he's worth by showing that he's worth more than all of our troubles and all the other things we could be thinking about." [00:07:34]
"There were plenty of folks in the 60s and 70s who were saying white folks will only change in light of violence. It's the only language they understand. Malcolm X and others were advocating violence. Martin Luther King said no. With violence, yeah, you can conquer people and maybe force them to change some laws, but you can't ever change a heart through violence. Violence only does one thing, and that solidifies the person in whatever stance they have against you. The only thing that can change hearts, see, instead of changing just laws, you need to change hearts. He understood that, and the only thing that can do that is love." [00:34:38]
"And so he says we've got to protest, but we've got to protest in love. And when he would make calls for folks when they would come and want to be part of a march or whatever activity they had going on, he would tell them, I don't want you to participate in this unless, two things, one, you're doing it not just for yourself, but for the oppressors. Because they're trapped in their own kind of dehumanizing bondage. And until everyone's free, none of us are truly free. And so march out of love for your enemies and wanting them to be free. And secondly, you do not retaliate. Whatever they do, we're not going to reciprocate." [00:35:00]
"Martin Luther King, he had a dream. You all know about that dream. He was a visionary. He dreamed big. So in his I have a dream speech, he talked about how he looks forward to the time when every valley will be raised up and every mountain will be brought low and all the crooked paths will be made straight and all the rough paths will be made smooth. And he looked forward to the time when humanity would form this tapestry together, and God would be glorified, he said, and all flesh will see. He was a visionary. He dreamed of a time when his four children will live in a nation where they wouldn't be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." [00:56:31]
"He dreamed big. He dreamed of this beloved community, the phrase he used. And it represented what he believed was God's ideal for humanity, what an ideal society would be, a humanity that's grounded in love and grounded in justice and equity, a community in which racism has no place, poverty has no place, and violence has no place, the beloved community. And he thought that was God's vision for humanity because he found it in Scripture, and he was right about that. That is God's vision for humanity. But he also found it in the U.S. Constitution. Which begins with, we believe these, we hold these truths to be self-evident that all people are created equal." [00:56:51]
"He knew that living out love, living in love as Christ loved us and gave his life for us, is a challenge. He knew that moving towards justice and equity is going to be a challenge. There are people who will push back on this. He understood that people's minds don't change overnight. They usually change kind of slowly. And systems and cultures change even slower than that. So he emphasized how it takes persistence and patience to keep working towards this beloved community. He warned people frequently that there's going to be tough times coming. This is not a picnic. And that's why they had trainings before they did the marches and stuff. Because he says, you've got to be prepared. You've got to be prepared to suffer for the cause." [00:58:55]
"upstream in the culture that says just stay do what's the most convenient thing to do the easiest thing to do no you got to swim upstream on that one if you're going to be living in this other oriented love at one point dr king said this he said we have to accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope you will have finite disappointments in the short run yeah there'll be times where it doesn't work in the short run there'll be people who don't get it in the short run there'll be people who don't understand and they push back and they're they're afraid in the short run you may you may lose some things uh in the short run you may lose your life as martin luther king did as jesus did uh but don't live in the short term yeah you'll fall sometimes but don't lose that infinite hope the disappointments are going to be finite but hang on to this infinite or this eternal hope uh knowing that here's another quote of his he says that the the the the moral the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice it's long it takes a long time to get there it's going to be a long long long journey home it's a long journey pops you said are just right yeah there's ups and downs it's sometimes progress is never linear you're three steps forward and four steps backward there'll be finite disappointments but never lose that infinite hope that that ultimate hope and king understood that this ultimate hope is is anchored in the god who is revealed in jesus christ the reason why the the moral arc of the universe bends towards justice is because it's created by a just god and this just god promises us that there will come a time when all of the things that have been accomplished in christ will be manifested in in this world we alert we heard about ephesians which tells us that that in christ there's one new humanity that's been created and all the walls of hostility have been torn down all the things that could separate us from one another have been torn down someday that would be manifested and the job of the church is to manifest it now and he talked about a time when when every tribe and every tongue and every nation and every people group will be gathered around the throne you find that vision several times in the book of revelation and everybody worshiping god in their own way in their own tongue in their own language in their own culture but it's beautiful precisely because of its diversity dreams of a time when humanity where our differences will no longer be problems but will be things to celebrate because they could they combine together create this a history that highlights and glorifies the great creativity and the beautiful diversity of the god who created us hallelujah and the church's job is to manifest that now not to wait for it to happen but they'd be the ones who bring this this about hold on to that infinite hope even when you're discouraged especially when you're discouraged i believe that a lot of folks probably listening to this message right now are kind of discouraged we've made some progress in some areas over the last decade some progress in certain areas but there's also a lot of reasons to be discouraged i did a little digging in it this week and pew research and other things found that that basically the disparities between whites and non -whites most non -whites on average have stayed pretty much the same nothing much has changed for the last couple decades on average white people are not white people are not white people are not white now just because the gaps grow for 30 years they're not the same white people are not the same you understand that the only way to get white people back is to based on the hydration of our bodies we understand the inequality of the Futures is whether or not we're gonna be white but hat's not a general issue now as of now many of us we guess back as Brian encuentra writer Ben Malm of the black locomotive theory we think that most only people work sexual privilege that's both negative and affect ." [01:00:33]
"Martin Luther King said, and everyone can be great because everyone can serve. And he understood, as Jesus did, that greatness is found not in being served, but in serving others. As Cedric was saying, who do you serve? And so instead of a learn-a-thon, we want to have a serve-a-thon. Serve-a-thon. And we want folks to look at ways that you can volunteer, serve others. We have on our website a list of things you could do. Our team went out and just researched all sorts of things. I was amazed looking at this list. Incredible ideas, ways that you can help other people. And there's a ton of them. So get on Woodland Hills Church, whchurch.org, serve-a-thon. And we have the serve-a-thon little pamphlets out there. I encourage you to pick those up. We also have out there community events, MLK community events, places you can go that will be doing different things, celebrating Martin Luther King Day. I encourage you to check out that and be a part of that. Because it is about service. It's about love. It's about manifesting the character of God in all that we do and how we relate to one another." [01:08:49]
"When James Lewis first proposed having a Martin Luther King Day, he specifically said this day should not be a day off. It should be a day on. And what he meant is that this should be a day of service. And so our goal is to have 250 hours of service work by the end of February. So we have all February to get this done. Check it out on the website. All the opportunities that are there. And I encourage you to participate in it. Don't forget that we have prayer up here at the end of the service. Or if you're online, you can get prayer that way. And we have the MuseCast on Tuesdays. And we've got gathering groups that we encourage folks to check out and talk about the message and meet other people, sometimes from around the globe." [01:11:19]
"So Holy Spirit, just anoint this as we now solidify ourselves together. We, the people of Woodland Hills Church, who pray this prayer in earnest to you. I'll do the leader and you guys do the author. Father, Son, and Spirit, you have made each of us a unique reflection of your image. We affirm the Jesus, on the cross, you tore down every wall that divides us and brought us together as one body. We affirm the weaving our diversity into a glorious tapestry. We celebrate our differences. You call us to stand with the marginalized, to speak for the voiceless, and to be in solidarity with the hurting. May Christ be glorified in everything we think, do, and say throughout this coming week." [01:12:55]
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"There were plenty of folks in the 60s and 70s who were saying white folks will only change in light of violence. It's the only language they understand. Malcolm X and others were advocating violence. Martin Luther King said no. With violence, yeah, you can conquer people and maybe force them to change some laws, but you can't ever change a heart through violence. Violence only does one thing, and that solidifies the person in whatever stance they have against you. The only thing that can change hearts, see, instead of changing just laws, you need to change hearts. He understood that, and the only thing that can do that is love." [00:34:38]
"And so he says we've got to protest, but we've got to protest in love. And when he would make calls for folks when they would come and want to be part of a march or whatever activity they had going on, he would tell them, I don't want you to participate in this unless, two things, one, you're doing it not just for yourself, but for the oppressors. Because they're trapped in their own kind of dehumanizing bondage. And until everyone's free, none of us are truly free. And so march out of love for your enemies and wanting them to be free. And secondly, you do not retaliate. Whatever they do, we're not going to reciprocate." [00:35:00]
"Martin Luther King, he had a dream. You all know about that dream. He was a visionary. He dreamed big. So in his I have a dream speech, he talked about how he looks forward to the time when every valley will be raised up and every mountain will be brought low and all the crooked paths will be made straight and all the rough paths will be made smooth. And he looked forward to the time when humanity would form this tapestry together, and God would be glorified, he said, and all flesh will see. He was a visionary. He dreamed of a time when his four children will live in a nation where they wouldn't be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." [00:56:31]
"He dreamed big. He dreamed of this beloved community, the phrase he used. And it represented what he believed was God's ideal for humanity, what an ideal society would be, a humanity that's grounded in love and grounded in justice and equity, a community in which racism has no place, poverty has no place, and violence has no place, the beloved community. And he thought that was God's vision for humanity because he found it in Scripture, and he was right about that. That is God's vision for humanity. But he also found it in the U.S. Constitution. Which begins with, we believe these, we hold these truths to be self-evident that all people are created equal." [00:56:51]
"He knew that living out love, living in love as Christ loved us and gave his life for us, is a challenge. He knew that moving towards justice and equity is going to be a challenge. There are people who will push back on this. He understood that people's minds don't change overnight. They usually change kind of slowly. And systems and cultures change even slower than that. So he emphasized how it takes persistence and patience to keep working towards this beloved community. He warned people frequently that there's going to be tough times coming. This is not a picnic. And that's why they had trainings before they did the marches and stuff. Because he says, you've got to be prepared. You've got to be prepared to suffer for the cause." [00:58:55]
"upstream in the culture that says just stay do what's the most convenient thing to do the easiest thing to do no you got to swim upstream on that one if you're going to be living in this other oriented love at one point dr king said this he said we have to accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope you will have finite disappointments in the short run yeah there'll be times where it doesn't work in the short run there'll be people who don't get it in the short run there'll be people who don't understand and they push back and they're they're afraid in the short run you may you may lose some things uh in the short run you may lose your life as martin luther king did as jesus did uh but don't live in the short term yeah you'll fall sometimes but don't lose that infinite hope the disappointments are going to be finite but hang on to this infinite or this eternal hope uh knowing that here's another quote of his he says that the the the the moral the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice it's long it takes a long time to get there it's going to be a long long long journey home it's a long journey pops you said are just right yeah there's ups and downs it's sometimes progress is never linear you're three steps forward and four steps backward there'll be finite disappointments but never lose that infinite hope that that ultimate hope and king understood that this ultimate hope is is anchored in the god who is revealed in jesus christ the reason why the the moral arc of the universe bends towards justice is because it's created by a just god and this just god promises us that there will come a time when all of the things that have been accomplished in christ will be manifested in in this world we alert we heard about ephesians which tells us that that in christ there's one new humanity that's been created and all the walls of hostility have been torn down all the things that could separate us from one another have been torn down someday that would be manifested and the job of the church is to manifest it now and he talked about a time when when every tribe and every tongue and every nation and every people group will be gathered around the throne you find that vision several times in the book of revelation and everybody worshiping god in their own way in their own tongue in their own language in their own culture but it's beautiful precisely because of its diversity dreams of a time when humanity where our differences will no longer be problems but will be things to celebrate because they could they combine together create this a history that highlights and glorifies the great creativity and the beautiful diversity of the god who created us hallelujah and the church's job is to manifest that now not to wait for it to happen but they'd be the ones who bring this this about hold on to that infinite hope even when you're discouraged especially when you're discouraged i believe that a lot of folks probably listening to this message right now are kind of discouraged we've made some progress in some areas over the last decade some progress in certain areas but there's also a lot of reasons to be discouraged i did a little digging in it this week and pew research and other things found that that basically the disparities between whites and non -whites most non -whites on average have stayed pretty much the same nothing much has changed for the last couple decades on average white people are not white people are not white people are not white now just because the gaps grow for 30 years they're not the same white people are not the same you understand that the only way to get white people back is to based on the hydration of our bodies we understand the inequality of the Futures is whether or not we're gonna be white but hat's not a general issue now as of now many of us we guess back as Brian encuentra writer Ben Malm of the black locomotive theory we think that most only people work sexual privilege that's both negative and affect ." [01:00:33]
"Martin Luther King said, and everyone can be great because everyone can serve. And he understood, as Jesus did, that greatness is found not in being served, but in serving others. As Cedric was saying, who do you serve? And so instead of a learn-a-thon, we want to have a serve-a-thon. Serve-a-thon. And we want folks to look at ways that you can volunteer, serve others. We have on our website a list of things you could do. Our team went out and just researched all sorts of things. I was amazed looking at this list. Incredible ideas, ways that you can help other people. And there's a ton of them. So get on Woodland Hills Church, whchurch.org, serve-a-thon. And we have the serve-a-thon little pamphlets out there. I encourage you to pick those up. We also have out there community events, MLK community events, places you can go that will be doing different things, celebrating Martin Luther King Day. I encourage you to check out that and be a part of that. Because it is about service. It's about love. It's about manifesting the character of God in all that we do and how we relate to one another." [01:08:49]
"When James Lewis first proposed having a Martin Luther King Day, he specifically said this day should not be a day off. It should be a day on. And what he meant is that this should be a day of service. And so our goal is to have 250 hours of service work by the end of February. So we have all February to get this done. Check it out on the website. All the opportunities that are there. And I encourage you to participate in it. Don't forget that we have prayer up here at the end of the service. Or if you're online, you can get prayer that way. And we have the MuseCast on Tuesdays. And we've got gathering groups that we encourage folks to check out and talk about the message and meet other people, sometimes from around the globe." [01:11:19]
"So Holy Spirit, just anoint this as we now solidify ourselves together. We, the people of Woodland Hills Church, who pray this prayer in earnest to you. I'll do the leader and you guys do the author. Father, Son, and Spirit, you have made each of us a unique reflection of your image. We affirm the Jesus, on the cross, you tore down every wall that divides us and brought us together as one body. We affirm the weaving our diversity into a glorious tapestry. We celebrate our differences. You call us to stand with the marginalized, to speak for the voiceless, and to be in solidarity with the hurting. May Christ be glorified in everything we think, do, and say throughout this coming week." [01:12:55]
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