Among the most influential American figures stands Martin Luther King Jr. His courage and conviction continues to speak volumes for our current cultural moment. And every year when we celebrate MLK Day I make sure to spend time reading through sermons, writings, speeches, delivered by King and each year I am inspired by his ability to stand for nonviolence in the midst of violence, justice in the midst of injustice, and love in the midst of unthinkable hate. Below are 5 links to sermons written by Martin Luther King that I believe offer an enduring prophetic voice for our day.
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Family and Countering Amnesia
A few months ago I preached at my church's South Campus in the middle of our series titled, "BaseCamp: Tools for the Journey." (see above for sermon audio) The topic I was given was "Family." Deuteronomy 6 offers the clearest and most explicit instruction to the nation of Israel in how the story of God is to propagate throughout the generations. It is known as the Shema and was a central element of every observant family within the people of Israel. The instruction from God is to continually tell the story of God's movement in his people as the animating story of their life. Because God understands our propensity for amnesia.
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A Story in Motion - Philippians: Part 2
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 1.3-6
For Paul, joy is the outworking of the Christian experience, it is not the end goal but rather a by product of the Christian experience. In this way, joy transcends circumstances. For Paul, this expression of joy in the midst of trial proves true in two ways, the present reality of God’s work and a future hope.
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5 Things Worth Your Time - Part 16
Every week I post a handful of articles, blog posts, videos, columns, books or anything I find interesting and worth your time. Ranging from thought-provoking to funny to ridiculous, most are things I stumbled upon in the past week. Hope you enjoy!
**"Short Read" = 10 Minutes or less. "Long Read" = 10 Minutes or longer.**
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Grace. And. Peace. - Philippians: Part 1
Grace. And. Peace.
These are the opening words of Paul to the Philippians. In some sense it is Paul's traditional greeting, found in nearly every letter he writes in the New Testament. But in another sense, it is a complex and inspiring opening and of all the ways to open a letter Paul chooses, grace and peace.
First, grace.
Now, Paul is creative. The typical greeting in the Hellenistic world was the greek word, chairein - which simply means “greetings.”The word Paul uses is similar in sound but more layered in meaning, charis - which translates to “grace.” Traditionally understood, grace is the unmerited favor and acceptance given from God. And while certainly not wrong, if we stop there we are left with a flat understanding. For Paul, grace has layers, depth, and nuance.
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