In Remembrance of a Hero

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! Early in the civil rights movement, Bayard Rustin said to King, "I have a feeling that the Lord had laid his hand upon you. And that is a dangerous, dangerous thing." Similarly, the FBI once described Martin King as the "most dangerous man in America" But do you really know much about this man?

Two years ago I read The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. (edited by Clayborne Carson). The book had a profound affect on me and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Today, being Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I decided to pull out this book and skim through it. When I read books I have a habit of underlining things that speak powerfully to me. So, as I opened up this awesome book, I was immediately greeted with some colorful underlined sentences and passages. I spent over an hour re-reading all of these and then thought that perhaps some of you would be as moved as I was by the things that came out of this incredible individual’s mouth.

You know, they don’t give a ‘day’ to just anybody… and MLK, Jr. did and said so much more than his powerful “I Have A Dream” speech. I hope you’ll take a few moments today to remember this guy, but more importantly, consider what made him the man he was. If I could be one-tenth the man he was, if I could live by the Spirit and follow my convictions anywhere close to how he did... I'd be content.

The following are random sentences, phrases, and excerpts that I underlined in the above-mentioned book (page numbers are given corresponding to where these quotes were found). Although it will take you a few minutes to read all of these, I double-dog-dare you to try (especially the last one). I could have written so many more, and I've purposefully left out excerpts from his more famous speeches. I pray that this will inspire us all. God bless you, (and thank You, Lord, for Martin Luther King, Jr).

“I had always been the questioning and precocious type.” (pp. 6)

“My parents would always tell me that I should not hate the white man, but that it was my duty as a Christian to love him. The question arose in my mind: How could I love a race of people who hated me?” (pp. 7)

“I revolted, too, against the emotionalism of much Negro religion, the shouting and stamping. I didn’t understand it, and it embarrassed me. I often say that if we, as a people, had as much religion in our hearts and souls as we have in our legs and feet, we could change the world.” (pp. 15)

“It has been my conviction… that any religion that professes concern for the souls of men and is not equally concerned about the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them, and the social conditions that cripple them is a spiritually moribund [declining] religion only waiting for the day to be buried. It well has been said: ‘A religion that ends with the individual, ends.’” (pp. 18)

“I feel that preaching is one of the most vital needs of our society, if it is used correctly… It is my opinion that sincerity is not enough for the preaching ministry. The minister must be both sincere and intelligent… I also think that the minister should possess profundity of conviction.” (pp. 18)

“I think that preaching should grow out of the experiences of the people. Therefore, I, as a minister, must know the problems of the people that I am pastoring. Too often do educated ministers leave the people lost in the fog of theological abstraction, rather than presenting that theology in the light of the people’s experiences. It is my conviction that the minister must somehow take profound theological and philosophical views and place them in a concrete framework. I must forever make the complex the simple.” (pp 19)

“The Christian ought always to be challenged by any protest against unfair treatment of the poor.” (pp. 21)

“Capitalism is always in danger of inspiring men to be more concerned about making a living than making a life. We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles, rather than by the quality of our service and relationship to humanity.” (pp. 21)

“Gandhi was probably the first person in history to lift the love ethic of Jesus above mere interaction between individuals to a powerful and effective social force on a large scale. Love for Gandhi was a potent instrument for social and collective transformation.” (pp. 24)

“I am indebted to my wife Coretta, without whose love, sacrifices, and loyalty neither life nor work would bring fulfillment. She has given me words of consolation when I needed them and a well-ordered home where Christian love is a reality.” (pp. 34)

Before speaking to a church congregation that was considering hiring MLK, Jr. as their pastor, he spent the night in prayer. He continually said the following over and over to himself: “Keep Martin Luther King in the background and God in the foreground and everything will be all right. Remember you are a channel of the Gospel and not the source.” (pp. 43)

“On December 1, 1955, Mrs. Rosa Parks refused to move when she was asked to get up and move back by the bus operator. Mrs. Parks was sitting in the first seat in the unreserved section. All of the seats were taken, and if Mrs. Parks had followed the command of the bus operator she would have stood up and given up her seat for a male white passenger, who had just boarded the bus. In a quiet, calm, dignified manner, so characteristic of the radiant personality of Mrs. Parks, she refused to move. The result was her arrest. One can never understand the action of Mrs. Parks until one realizes that eventually the cup of endurance runs over, and the human personality cries out, ‘I can’t take it no longer.’ Mrs. Parks refusal to move back was her intrepid and courageous affirmation to the world that she had had enough… She was a victim of both the forces of history and the forces of destiny.” (pp 50-51)

“Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate and evil. The greatest way to do that is through love. I believe firmly that love is a transforming power that can lift a whole community to new horizons of fair play, good-will, and justice. (pp 63)

“Afterward, as I drove up to the parsonage, more at peace than I had been in some time, I could hear Coretta’s high, true soprano through the living room window. In the back bedroom Yoki, now more than a month old, was wide awake and busy discovering her fingers. I picked her up and walked to the front room, bouncing her in time to Coretta’s song. Such moments together had become rare. We could never plan them, for I seldom knew from one hour to the next when I would be home. Many times Coretta saw her good meals grow dry in the oven when a sudden emergency kept me away. Yet she never complained, and she was always there when I needed her. Yoki and Beethoven, she said, kept her company when she was alone. Calm and unruffled, Coretta moved quietly about the business of keeping the household going. When I needed to talk things out, she was ready to listen, or to offer suggestions when I asked for them.” (pp 71-72)

“One day, a white friend told me that he had heard from reliable sources that plans were being made to take my life. For the first time I realized that something could happen to me. One night at a mass meeting, I found myself saying: ‘If one day you find me sprawled out dead, I do not want you to retaliate with a single act of violence. I urge you to continue protesting with the same dignity and discipline you have shown so far.’ A strange silence came over the audience. One night at the end of January I settled into bed late, after a strenuous day. Coretta had already fallen asleep and just as I was about to doze off the telephone rang. An angry voice said, ‘Listen, nigger, we’ve taken all we want from you; before next week you’ll be sorry you ever came to Montgomery.’ I hung up, but I couldn’t sleep… I got out of bed and began to walk the floor. I had heard these things before, but for some reason that night it got to me… Finally I went to the kitchen and heated a pot of coffee. I was ready to give up. With my cup of coffee sitting untouched before me I tried to think of a way to move out of the picture without appearing a coward. I sat there and thought about a beautiful little daughter who had just been born. I’d come in night after night and see that little gentle smile. I started thinking about a dedicated and loyal wife, who was over there asleep. And she could be taken from me, or I could be taken from her. And I got to the point that I couldn’t take it any longer. I was weak. Something said to me, ‘You can’t call on Daddy now, you can’t even call on Mamma. You’ve got to call on that something in that person that your Daddy used to tell you about, that power that can make a way out of no way.’ With my head in my hands, I bowed over the kitchen table and prayed aloud. The words I spoke to God that midnight are still vivid in my memory: ‘Lord, I’m down here trying to do what’s right. I think I’m right. I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But Lord, I must confess that I’m weak now, I’m faltering. I’m losing my courage. Now, I am afraid. And I can’t let the people see me like this because if they see me weak and losing my courage, they will begin to get weak. The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I’ve come to the point where I can’t face it alone.’ It seemed as though I could hear the quiet assurance of an inner voice saying: ‘Martin Luther, stand up for righteousness. Stand up for justice. Stand up for truth. And lo, I will be with you. Even until the end of the world.’ I tell you I’ve seen the lightning flash. I’ve heard the thunder roar. I’ve felt sin breakers dashing trying to conquer my soul. But I heard the voice of Jesus saying still to fight on. He promised never to leave me alone. At that moment I experienced the presence of the Divine as I had never experienced Him before. Almost at once my fears began to go. My uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything.” (pp. 76-78)