January 19, 2025 · Rev. Derek van Gulden · 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; Luke 6:27-36
On the Sunday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Derek van Gulden reflects on the Letter from Birmingham Jail, its challenge to churches that stay hidden inside, and the beloved community built when everyone's gifts are welcomed. The congregation then renews its baptismal promises and comes forward to be touched with water: “I am God's beloved.”
Transcript
Friends in Christ. Would you join me in a moment of prayer? Gracious and holy God, this morning I ask you to move the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts by your love, and help me this day not to be the instrument of my own or anyone else's oppression, but to be an instrument of peace in every breath, in every step, in every moment of our lives. Amen.
Friends, today is the day that we in church recognize and celebrate the work of Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King. There are so many ways to do that, and I think sometimes it's very hard to really celebrate what he did. He gave amazing speeches. He wrote amazing things. But I remember growing up and my parents pointing out whenever he'd be on TV. He says wonderful things, but the most powerful thing he does is the work that he does. Being out there, putting yourself on the line for everyone.
I had a chance last night to read his letter that he wrote from the Birmingham jail. I'm not going to read it all to you today. I found out it's quite long, but when you're in jail, I guess you really don't have much else to do. As he points out. But it's an amazing letter because he's writing it in response to a group, I believe, of clergy from the area that had sent him a letter saying, why are you an outsider here doing what you're doing? And his response, like you'd expect, is beautiful at the very end. He talks about the church. I was going to read that part to you, but I invite you to do it yourselves. It's easy to find online. The whole letter is beautiful because he lays out why he is where he is, and that he's not an outsider and never will be. None of us are outsiders.
But he talks about the church in a way that I can only describe as. Calling out churches to do the work that they say they believe in. And he talks about those who have come out from churches that truly believe that, who have left their spaces, not afraid to go through the doors and to the outside world and do the hard work. But he does call out churches that stay hidden inside. Not willing to go. Not willing to even take a chance.
He also calls out those people who economically. Are kind of like, well, I guess he would say the privileged but not quite the really rich privileged. In my mind is anybody who has more than they need. Which. If most of us were honest, we are all privileged in many different ways.
But the message over and over I heard as we walk through, as you read his letter. Was what you just heard in Scripture. Now, I don't believe that he quoted either one of those scriptures, although he quotes scripture all the time, and he can just pull it out of the air. Like many people that are really spent the time to listen to the word in today's scripture you heard. How to live our lives, to love each other, to lift up each other, to live an inclusive life where you gather everybody in welcoming all. It doesn't matter who.
And that each and every one of us has a gift. Each and every one of us has a gift that the community needs to build the beloved community. We need to have everybody. We need to have the gifts that everybody brings, no matter what that gift is. That gift was blessed to each of us by God. When we find a way to do that, truly, truly do that. I believe that wherever that's happening is a beloved community of God.
Now, you may wonder why I have the baptismal font up here for a second Sunday. When? Last Sunday, I totally ignored it and totally forgot to do what I intended to do. But the way God works and I will tell you, after worship, I was devastated. By missing certain things in worship. But that's a different story.
And Monday morning. Well, not Monday. It's my day off. Truthfully, I tried to adhere to the Sabbath, but Tuesday I started looking at other places, sermons or lectures or people that had walked with and marched with Doctor King And the first one I opened up, and I haven't been able to find it again because I don't remember how I found it in the first place. Said. In their church every year on the Sunday that they celebrate Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. They start. By renewing their baptismal vows to hear those words. Because those words are what we are called to do, whether it was somebody doing it on your behalf when you were an infant or you heard those words during confirmation, or any time as you were an adult, that you entered any church and went through their baptismal program and then were baptized. Those words really sum up what we hear about.
So if you open your bulletin. To the top of page five. Well, a quarter of the way down. And I'm going to ask Liz Rice-Smith. Excuse me, Reverend Doctor Liz Rice-Smith to come up and join me, because after we do this, you are going to have a chance to come forward. And just be anointed by either one of us with a simple thing of water to remind you of your baptismal vow. So this is a call and response. Do you promise, by the grace of God, to be a disciple to the follow in the way of Jesus Christ, to resist oppression, to show love and justice, and to witness to the work and Word of Jesus Christ as best you are able to do with God's help. Do you promise according to the grace given to you, to grow in your faith and to be a faithful member of the church, celebrating Christ's presence and furthering God's mission in all the world to us. And as we do the rest of it, well, let us wait to come forward so we can all read together.
So I'm going to invite you to come forward in a few minutes and just take a moment to remember that you are. God's beloved, and the person sitting next to you is God's beloved. And the people you meet today are God's beloved. Even those people that you have a hard time being in their presence are God's beloved. We need to remember that. And when you come forward and we just anoint your head with the water, And we invite you to say, I am God's beloved.
[introduces a prayer of recommitment, and the congregation prays it together] Please come forward.