MLK

I've spent the Martin Luther King Holiday at work. But the work has been appropriate and rewarding for this special day. I am working to coordinate a worship service for the New Baptist Covenant in Birmingham on January 31. It will feature former President Jimmy Carter as keynote speaker, and will take place at the historic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church eleven days after the inauguration of our first African-American president.

People are coming from all over the southeast, and the goal of the event is to begin a process of unity between churches from black and white traditions. It has been a pleasure to put the puzzle pieces together of various kinds of speech and music to celebrate this important time in our history. Turning this site of a terrorist bombing 45 years ago into the site of a new kind of energy and unity will be the sort of thing noone ever forgets.

I want to share a poem from the 13th century that will be the background for a dance interpretation during this special service. The dancers will come from Troy University, and they will lead us to consider the following words:

Move beyond any attachment to names.
Every war, every conflict between human beings
has happened because of some disagreement about names.
It’s such an unnecessary foolishness
because, just beyond the arguing,
there’s a long table of companionship
set
and waiting for us to sit down.
The differences are just illusions and vanity.
Sunlight looks slightly different on this wall
than it does on that wall
and a lot different on this other one,
but it is still one light.
Many jugs being poured into a huge basin –
all religions, all this singing – one song.
- mevlana jelaluddin rumi - 13th century

Best wishes for MLK day!