He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
— Micah 6:8
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Today, we commemorate Martin Luther King Jr., who embodied Micah 6:8.
He reminds us that the gospel not only reconciles us to You but each other.
We pause to reflect on the dream of MLK.
His dream calls us to live out your second greatest commandment, to love our neighbors as ourselves.
You offer us a vision of heaven of people of all nations, races, ethnicities, and backgrounds worshipping You together.
As MLK and this day reminds us, we have far more work to do.
We ask you for healing in this divided nation.
We confess our sin of not loving our brothers and sisters as You commanded.
We seek forgiveness from You and each other.
Guide with compassion and gentleness.
Lead us to serve each other creatively.
Enlarge our tables to experience heaven on this side of eternity.
Let our actions and words align with the gospel.
So, Lord, today we sow prayers and deeds for a harvest in the future.
I pray that our children may come to realize more of MLK’s dream than we have.
May we come to recognized the kingdom values you have called us to embrace through the vision of MLK.
Our hope is in You, and You have placed responsibility for us to live out the gospel in tangible ways.
Amen
Photo by Unseen Histories on Unsplash