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| Reflections on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day |  |  |  |
| Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is an American holiday, but Dr. King belongs to the world, to history, and to people everywhere who yearn for justice and freedom. That includes us, Metropolitan Community Churches, everywhere in the world we are, and everywhere we need to be! This year, on this special day, the Board of Elders is gathered together in a retreat center near Dallas. We will begin with prayer, with acknowledging Dr. King's legacy, and then we'll share our lives and our work with each other as our newly constituted Board meets for the first time -- and we'll focus on a time of imagining and opening up to the future. Pray for us, that we will grow in trust, in wisdom; and that we will deepen our commitment to each other, to you and to our mission to change lives, the church and the world. So much has been written about Dr. King, his too short but incredibly influential life, his legacy, his spiritual leadership. He was a constant learner who throughout his all-too-brief life never ceased to grow in his theology and in his understanding of the world. He invested his life in the vital work of tearing down walls and building up hope. A few years ago, I spent time listening to some of his early sermons. They were precious and powerful, and you could tell they reflected an earlier era in his thinking and speaking. How he grew in just a few, short years! As we contemplate a new era of theological conversation within MCC, he is a striking example of an open heart and an open mind. And he is eminently quotable! I have chosen three brief quotes to share and a prayer to go with it: In talking about burnout, and depression that activists sometimes feel Dr. King said: "We have just so much strength in us. . .after a while, at a certain point, we're so weak and worn, we hoist up the flag of surrender.. . Whatever we say or think, this is arduous duty, doing this kind of work; to live out ones idealism brings with it hazards." Our Prayer: God, sometimes it feels good to just surrender - help us surrender to you, and to acknowledge when were are at the end of our rope, when we need to lean on Your strength, because ours is gone. Help us not be so proud that we cannot admit, as even Dr. King did, our humanness, our limits. For every pastor or lay leader that might feel overwhelmed or burdened today, we ask for reassurance and acceptance: our lives are in Your hands today! I am not sure of the context of this quote from Dr. King, but it is a powerful reminder: "Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a permanent attitude" Our Prayer: God, help us to incorporate forgiveness into our lifestyle. Sometimes, it seems like there is way too much in the world to forgive these days. But we ask you, in Jesus name to help us be the kind of people who understand the ongoing, healing, liberating power of giving and receiving forgiveness. And, last but not least, a more familiar quote, perhaps, in that lyrical language of the most revered preacher of the 20th century: "In a real sense, all life is interrelated, all people are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny." Our Prayer: God of Justice and Grace, help us trust that our interrelatedness will lead us to true mutuality. Help us to be voices and forces for freedom, truth, and the dignity of every person. Help us remember, in Dr. King's words, that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." I believe that MCCs mission and ministry is to all people. On this very day, in places as diverse as Jamaica and Eastern Europe, and in Zimbabwe and South Africa, in places like Indianapolis, London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sydney, Australia; in Malaysia; in small cities, and in remote outposts; in Baghdad, in Jerusalem, in Sao Paolo, we are tied together in a single garment of destiny. As we rise up to accept our call to our destiny, may we feel Your Spirits energy and passion being renewed in us daily. May we proudly claim our heritage as sons and daughters of Martin Luther King Jr's vision of the Beloved Community. Grace and peace,  Rev. Nancy L. Wilson Moderator Metropolitan Community Churches
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