Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr

Apathetic Spectators

or Christian Agitators of Change

Micah 6:6-8 

January 20, 2019
Delivered at True Faith, Hayward, California
Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Sr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. He was rushed to St. Joseph’s hospital where he died at 7:05pm. 51 years ago he died after bringing attention to a strike called by more than 1300 black sanitation workers who worked for dirt-poor wages and whose garbage trucks often malfunctioned as one did on February 1, 1968 when Robert Walker and Echol Cole died as a result. These sanitation workers denied decency, respect, just wages, and working conditions demonstrated, marching with signs that said: “I am a man.” How sad it was that the striking sanitation workers had to remind the city officials of Memphis that they were human beings created in the image of God and that their black lives mattered. Fifty one years later, this nation has not treated blacks as its constitution states. Blacks are still lack the equitable distribution of basic social goods in education, housing, jobs, and income while the federal government allows voter suppression, and the policies of white supremacy promoted by the highest office in the land. Fifty one years later the dream of Dr. King is being aborted by religious conservatives who scream loudly against abortions.

Christian conservatives in black and white churches are among the many churches who will not observe the January 15, 1929 birthday of Dr. King. Some teach that their primary focus is on preaching personal salvation. In other words, private faith has no public responsibilities. The church is not called upon to address the issues of public morality. The soul of the nation will be saved when the church saves the soul of the individual. The job of the church is to let public morality alone and to guide the individual conduct of the Christian as a private citizen. Such reasoning gave Christian conservatives to evade the May 17, 1954 Supreme Court decision that segregated schools are illegal. Christian conservatives across the South opened their own segregated Christian academies. In the North, school districts kept segregation alive by tracking which separates students based on academic achievement and that achievement is based on the socio economic status of the parents. Christian conservatives with a no hands policy on public morality opened the door for the growth of classism, racism, consumerism, militarism, and materialism.

Those of us who honor Dr. King today are left with asking ourselves the question: How did Dr. King answer the Christian conservative preachers who ignored the 8th century prophets? Dr. King preached a Christ centered gospel that took its cues from the public ministry of Jesus who quoted from the social prophets of the 8th century. Dr. King preached a wholistic gospel. Dr. King said: The gospel deals with the whole man/woman, not only his/her soul but his/her body, not only his/he spiritual wellbeing, but his/her material wellbeing… any religion which professes to be concerned about the souls of men/women and is not concerned about the social and economic conditions that scar the soul is a spiritually, moribund religion only waiting for the day to be buried! Dr. King was also a serious student of the 8th century. Prophets like Isaiah, Amos, and Micah. He could not escape Micah 6:8: “He has shown you old man what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Micah lived in the country town of Moresheth that was located some 25 miles South west of Jerusalem. Some think that he studied under Isaiah. Old Testament scholar, Bernard Anderson, says ‘Unlike city-bred Isaiah, Micah was a country prophet who spoke for the poor farmers suffering at the hands of powerful landlords. In Micah 2: 2 he says of the greedy and owners; “they covet fields and seize them, and houses and take them. They defraud a man of his home, a fellowman of his inheritance.” Micah exposes the corruption of business leaders: “Should I be pure with dishonest scales and with a bag of deceitful weights? Her rich men are full of violence.” Micah tells exposes the sins of the government as if religion was to stay out of politics. In Micah 7:3 he says the ruler demands, gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire. In Micah 3:5 the religious leaders are told: This is what the Lord says; as for the prophets who lead my people astray, if one feeds them, they proclaim peace, if not, they prepare to wage war against him… The sun will set for the prophets. Micah had a word for those apathetic spectators who supported religious membership in houses of worship. This word is as powerful today as when it was first spoken. Apathetic spectators who worship just because they are comfortable and complacent or at ease in just belonging because it is the thing that you do. So, you show up from Sunday to Sunday or every now and then hopefully showing up before the Lord. What do I show up with? “With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings and calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I offer my first born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” No! No this is not the way to get God’s attention. “He has showed you, O man and woman what is good and what does the Lord require of you? to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.” God does not ask you to do three things. God requires that you do these things! God is just. God is merciful. God is everywhere in world. “Where can we flee from God’s presence? If I go up to the heavens you are there. If I make my bed in the depths you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”

Do justly and confront injustice as an active agitator for righteousness. Help put the closet Christians out of business. Love those who are powerless to help themselves. Give them the mercy they need and cannot give themselves. Walk humbly with God. Do not stay seated as an apathetic spectator. Be prepared to go where God leads. You do not serve for honor. By grace you can walk with God by peaceful waters and through turbulent waters. With God you can walk through fire and flood.

Dr. King followed the example of Micah. He was an agitator of the gospel for loving mercy, doing justly, and walking with God. Dr. King urged the church to not be a disappointment to God. He called the church to repent for being apathetic spectators in a world that has lost her soul. Dr. King died hopeful that the church would teach the nation to never give stop loving, forgiving, and teaching nonviolence. He died believing that the possession, use and sale of weapons of mass destruction can never be justified. He died challenging the church to defend the rights of millions of homeless, hungry, hurting people in the world and in America, the richest country in the world. Christian Agitators who visit those escaping death in their home lands while seeking life in America are representing the God of our fathers and are assured by him of an eternal inheritance. In a sermon called ‘Shattered Dreams’ Dr. King gave me hope for hopeless times. He told how our ancestors were not a disappointment to God. He said they fashioned a creative optimism that strengthened them. Their bottomless vitality transformed the darkness of frustration into the light of hope. Let us be light bearers and hope givers in our time! This is the best way to honor the legacy of Dr. King. Let us, like our ancestors, be persons of hope for these dark days of hopeless times. Let us allow love to chase away the darkness of hopelessness. Said Dr. King: “Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; Love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illumines it. We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.” Where do we get the strength and power to be loving, merciful, and forgiving? How do we get the power to do justly when no one is looking and to be right and do the right thing when ego tells us to have our own way? How can our good become better, and our better the best like the Lord Jesus Christ? The way up is by humbling ourselves. Unless we humble ourselves of our pride, arrogance and self-righteousness, we will never walk with God. The absolute power and infinite intelligence of God has made it possible for us who are limited by time and the fragility of body to love mercy, do justly, and to walk humbly with God.