“Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (From the “Drum Major Instinct” February 4, 1968)
During the summer of 2019, my family and I took a road trip. It was a wonderful time of relaxation and exploration. We journeyed through several states, spending time at the beach, eating great food and having fun wherever we went. We also took time to visit several historical sites on our trip.
One of the places Aimee and I wanted to visit, while we were in the state of Alabama, was the historic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. For many years this beautiful church served as a place of worship, a meeting hall, and a center from where the fight against segregation was organized. This church was the center in the struggle for justice.
On Sunday, September 15, 1963, a bomb exploded just before worship. This bomb killed four little girls and injured more than 20 other members of the church. The tragedy of that Sunday tuned the world’s attention to a community and a world that was bitterly divided by racism.
As my family stood on the site where so much history had been made, I was overwhelmed with emotion. I was heartbroken for the innocent lives lost. I was devastated by the history of racism, segregation, and violence that our country has experienced, and I was prayerful that my daughters would only know of these things as history.
One of the many civil rights leaders who helped to organize the work done from this church was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King helped to bring about change in Birmingham and our country. He helped to organize protests and marches. He rallied communities, religious and political leaders to the cause of civil rights. Perhaps one of the most effective ways that Dr. King used to help lead the civil rights movement was his powerful use of speech. Speeches like he made from within the walls of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. He was an extraordinary speaker. He told of the oppression of people in such a way that others were compelled to join the movement that would help change our country forever.
Today is a day we set aside to honor and remember Dr. King. We do so because he was committed and successful in leading our country in a positive direction. He was a great storyteller, preacher, teacher, and leader that opened our hearts and minds to dreaming new dreams. His wonderful sermons and powerful speeches still inform us today. Dr. King’s legacy and our history reminds us of our great calling found in the scriptures, “So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)
Rev. Keith King, Pastor of worship
