Dear Members and Friends,
On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I take the opportunity to share more than I typically do in a letter to you.
This day, each year, is a day to reflect on “What does the world require of us? What does love require of us?” As the inauguration takes place of Donald Trump, I wonder what would King do if he were still alive? I believe he would remind us
- to ask “Where is love calling us?” especially when fear, anxiety, and uncertainty are on the rise
- that we are not powerless to take action on behalf of our values in ways that may sway the opinion of decision-makers
- that Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend
- that achieving the ideal of the Beloved Community rooted in justice and reconciliation requires ongoing, collective effort to dismantle systems of inequality, prejudice, and violence
- that the ethic of love leads to both personal and collective transformation as affirmed by great religious teachers whom while oppressed embodied compassion, whose teachings call people to live with dignity and kindness
An evolution of Rev. Dr. King’s perspective
When King was a young man, he had a crisis of faith. From his early teen years he was deeply concerned about the the gulf between superfluous wealth and abject poverty. As he read Karl Marx, he fretted over the danger of the profit motive as the sole basis of an economic system. “Capitalism,” he wrote, “is always in danger of inspiring people to be more concerned about making a living than making a life. We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles, rather than by the quality of our service or relationship to humanity.”
And then he read Nietzsche who attacked the whole of Hebraic-Christian morality with its virtues of piety and humility, its otherworldliness, and its attitude toward suffering–as the glorification of weakness, as making virtues out of necessity and impotence. King says that, at this time, he had about given up on the power of love to solve social problems.
The turning point for him was a lecture given by Mordecai Johnson, the president of Howard University, who had just returned from India. He spoke of the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. King threw himself into reading Gandhi and became deeply fascinated by his campaign of nonviolent resistance, particularly the Salt March to the Sea and his numerous fasts.
King was transformed by the concept of Satyagraha where satya means “truth” or “love” and agraha means “force.” This concept of satyagraha, truth-force or love-force, changed everything. Prior to reading Gandhi, King had just about concluded that the ethics of Jesus were only effective in individual relationships. He writes: “The ‘turn the other cheek’ philosophy and the ‘love your enemies’ philosophy were only valid, I felt, when individuals were in conflict with other individuals, when racial groups and nations were in conflict a more realistic approach seemed necessary.”
King continues: “But after reading Gandhi, I saw how utterly mistaken I was.” And then he says, “Gandhi was probably the first person in history to lift the love ethic of Jesus above mere interaction between individuals to a powerful and effective social force on a large scale.” Love, radical love, for Gandhi was a potent instrument for social and collective transformation.
As I shared in my sermon, Rev. Dr. Calvin Morris was the youngest member of King’s inner circle when he was assassinated. He led the King Center for decades, teaching King’s precepts of nonviolence and faith-based organizing. His final position was Executive Director of Community Renewal Society in Chicago. I was trained in faith-based organizing at CRS and participated in many actions with Dr. Morris—and had him preach at Unity Temple multiple times. Dr. Morris died 15 month ago, but like King, there are many people taking the teachings of radical love forward.
What does the world require of us? What does love require of us?
It requires that we do justice, that we actively participate in the processes that bring about change for the common good. It requires that we love kindness, that we act with compassion towards those we encounter who are hurting. And lastly, the world requires us to walk humbly with our God. Now, some of us understand God in a personal sense, though you don’t need to believe in a personal god to walk humbly. Some see God as the aggregate of all creative events and insights. Others see God as the source of their love, however that has come to be. What matters is that we walk humbly, and by humbly I don’t mean being a doormat, for Martin Luther King was anything but a doormat. For King walking humbly meant pledging to do ten things, just as all members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference were expected to pledge. And these ten things are:
- MEDITATE daily on teachings that affirm life.
- REMEMBER always that the nonviolent movement anywhere seeks justice and reconciliation – not victory.
- WALK and TALK in the manner of love, for God is love.
- PRAY daily to be used by God [Love] in order that all people might be free.
- SACRIFICE personal wishes in order that all people might be free.
- OBSERVE with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy.
- SEEK to perform regular service for others and for the world.
- REFRAIN from the violence of fist, tongue or heart.
- STRIVE to be in good spiritual and bodily health.
- FOLLOW the directions of the movement leaders
On this historic Martin Luther King Day, I want you to consider a basic invitation that exists for each and every one of us. No matter how destructive to a society is the breach between wealth and poverty, no matter how horrifically people treat one another in opposing political regimes around the world, no matter how challenging life becomes for us or for loved ones, there always exists an invitation to individual and collective transformation, a call to radical love.
As King put it, “Nonviolent resistance avoids not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. The nonviolent resister not only refuses to shoot his opponent but he also refuses to hate him. At the center of nonviolence stands the principle of love. The nonviolent resister would contend that in the struggle for human dignity, the oppressed people of the world must not succumb to the temptation of becoming bitter or indulging in hate campaigns. To retaliate in kind would do nothing but intensify the existence of hate in the universe. Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate. This can only be done by projecting the ethic of love to the center of our lives.”
For each of us, this call looks different and it changes over time. For some, this call is about caring for an ailing relative or friend; for others, it is becoming a mentor to economically challenged children; for others, it is providing legal aid to the incarcerated or indigent, or creating paths to resettle refugee families. The list goes on and on. There are many opportunities of service that are worthy of us and our commitments.
A question I have for you
Do you want UU Westport to be a place that provides worship that encourages you to live your values? Do you want this Congregation to discern a broader collective ministry beyond the charity work and legislative advocacy currently afoot? Do you want to participate in the public ministry of this Congregation as clarity emerges after a listening campaign?
In August, I brought in Alex Wiesendanger to facilitate a workshop with our Social Justice Council to 1) learn the difference between a powerful congregation and an activist congregation; and 2) a training in 1-on-1 relational conversations which are the building blocks of faith-based organizing. Alex is the author of Seeds of Hope: Organizing Your Church to Transform the World. He shares the wisdom of his former boss, Rev. Calvin Morris, and how congregations and religious leaders in the Chicago area were transformed by this kind of congregational engagement.
From my perspective, this is the most meaningful way for a Congregation to participate in the legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. But this isn’t the work for a day, it is process and a path that takes months and years. And it begins with ordinary people meeting with one another—in congregations and between congregations—cultivating relationships through relatively short conversations that center questions like “What opportunities are you most passionate about, and why?”, “What breaks your heart more than anything?”, and questions that emerge from the connection that unexpectedly emerge. It’s amazing how connected each of us can feel after learning how to do this well.
I raise this as a possibility to engage in the future, whether or not I am still here. This is the practice that inspired Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and so many ordinary people to stay the journey: human connections, expressions of hope, of faith in a better tomorrow. This work of making connections, while simple, takes practice. It takes intention. And it takes a sustained commitment. And I experience this practice of making connections as a spiritual practice that hones my own integrity. Getting to know others both in and out of this congregation, learning what motivates others, hearing stories, witnessing the hope, love and sorrow in their faces, in conversations that rarely go more than 40 minutes. This has been the most meaningful and nourishing part of my ministry. And this is what makes possible effective organizing together for change.
What is Love asking of UU Westport?
Over the next two months, several Cottage Parties are being hosted throughout the region. The question that is most resonant for me is: “If Love is the spirit of this Congregation, what is Love asking of us?” Other questions that might resonate with you: “What is the central identity of this Congregation?” Why is it important that we are here?” “Who are we accountable to?”
These gatherings are opportunities for a group of people to be both honest and sincere in sharing–and to become acquainted with a few people you haven’t met before. Note we have a Cottage gathering in Easton and one in Westport over the next week! Please sign up HERE.
I am grateful to serve you, especially now. During historically challenging times, it is important for us to listen to one another. It is easy to be moved to a sense of outrage—and to express outrage about little things as well. But outrage doesn’t serve anyone—but channeling it into finding ways to make a difference is one of the reasons Unitarian Universalist congregations exist. In another year, whether or not I am serving you, perhaps you will be in the midst of 1-on-1 relational conversations, getting clearer when and how to develop your publc ministry to make our wider community more just, equitable, and compassionate.
Warmly,
Alan
“Courage is an inner resolution to go forward despite obstacles;
Cowardice is submissive surrender to circumstances.
Courage breeds creativity; Cowardice represses fear and is mastered by it.”
— Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Cowardice asks the question, is it safe?
Expediency asks the question, is it politic?
Vanity asks the question, is it popular?
But conscience asks the question, is it right?
And there comes a time when we must take a position
that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular,
but one must take it because it is right.”
— Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.”
–Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
