Birthday Party or Martyrdom Significance?

January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968

Monday the nation is poised to pause and remember the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The holiday is almost overshadowed this year with the remarkable occurrence of the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama. It is in many ways a fitting epilogue to the life of the slain pastor and civil rights activist. The historic inauguration of a man of African-American heritage is only possible in the 21st century because of the work initiated by Dr. King in the 20th century. His dream for America - and the whole world for that matter -included the hope that one day, persons would be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

One of my favorite stories about Dr. King involves his response to a heckler who was in attendance at a location where he was speaking. If my memory serves me well the story goes
that Dr. King was interrupted by a man who said, "Oh, all you want to do is marry my sister!"
Martin Luther King's calm response was: "Sir, I don't wish to be your brother-in-law. I wish
to be your brother."

I also think of the class I attended as a student @ Duke Divinity School some years ago. The class was called, "Black Theology". One day we discussed the MLK holiday and the potential significance it holds for our nation and the world. After all, Dr. King was more than an American.
His receiving of The Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 made him a citizen of the world. In "Black Theology" class I posed to the professor and my classmates a question, "Why do we choose to
remember Dr. King's birthday, but barely acknowledge his death-day? I still believe this is an
important question. The followers of Christ call this kind of death more than an unfortunate case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dr. King was in Memphis for a purpose. That purpose contributed to his death. Therefore, we refer to this as his martyrdom.

In a sermon offered on April 3, 1968 - the night before his death - Dr. King concluded with with these words.

And then I got into Memphis. And some began to say that threats, or
talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want
you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

So what does the life and death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. mean to you? My hope is that some of our nation's day apart (January 19) will be focused around that question. I welcome your contributions to the answer.

Gratefully,

Jon(the methodist)