Dear St. Luke's,

We sprinted through the stress and joy of Christmas, got smacked in the face with the wonder of Epiphany, and I have suddenly found myself feeling humbled as we approach Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Growing up and learning about Dr. King in school, I remember thinking how wonderful it is that we were past the unambiguous hate of the past. We had somehow arrived at a point where we have “arrived”, and our task was to learn from the past and not necessarily question the present.

Much ink has been spilled in the past few years about how Dr. King’s message and ministry has been undercut by such thinking. At the time, Dr. King’s message was challenging and many not only disagreed with him but were threatened by his message. In hindsight, his truth is clear and his methods of invoking change through non-violence are revered. However, just as it is a mistake to present Dr. King’s speeches as something only relevant to the past, it is also a mistake to take humanity away from those who fought against his righteousness.

If we paint those who fought for the sin of segregation as pure villains, we cannot imagine them as those that we love, or even ourselves. For me, what is most terrifying about sin is that it disguises itself in everyday life, or sometimes even as a virtue. Good people often fight for injustice, and our goal should be to love them by telling them the truth and to be prepared to welcome them if and when they seek redemption.

Most difficult of all, is to realize that we are often the one that is blind to sin. It is not only the sinful “other” that needs the grace of a Christian community, we are also in great need of that truth and love. We cannot have community if we cannot have voices that challenge us in love, because it may the voice that we need to hear. We also cannot have community if we are not prepared to deeply love those with whom we disagree adamantly. Hard conversations done in love are the fruit of a healthy community, and we should not shy away from them. Dr. King’s ministry is not yet done, and through remembering him we can still feel uncomfortable in all of the right ways and know that he lived a Christ-like life by loving sinners, just as we are called to do.

Blessings,

Nick