This year the marking of Martin Luther King Day, coincides with the Inauguration of a recently re-elected President and is in the shadow of the funeral of a former President.  It may be worth noting that though Martin Luther King never was elected to any public office, his impact outstripped most who have held public office – including Presidents. 

His life was dedicated to advancing human dignity and advancing civil rights. This foundation of his work was his deep Christian faith, and a hallmark of his actions was non-violence.

I proffer that both of these are worth our reflection this year.

Our world has seemingly become more violent.  International and civil wars continue with devastating impact on both combatants and civilians and extracting disturbing humanitarian costs.  Violent terrorist attacks fill media platforms regularly.  On an individual level, minor slights or inconveniences erupt into violent attacks in delis, in subways and on our streets. 

While quite different, can anyone deny our language has become more violent is how we routinely talk about and describe those with whom disagree.   

The celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day should encourage us to pause and reflect on how we either contribute to and decrease violence in our world by word or action.  Each of us can reflect on our use of language about those with whom we disagree or who are different from us.

As current data indicate a decrease in the practice of religion in our country, it is worth noting that Martin Luther King’s faith drove him to work, often at real personal expense, to advance human dignity.  For those of us who believe it may be worth reflecting on our willingness to sacrifice to give witness to our beliefs in our lives – with family, friends, and work colleagues.   

Thanks to Martin Luther King, Jr. the human dignity of Black Americans and others is much more widely respected and the exercise of basic human rights greatly expanded. For this we rightly give thanks to God.  At the same time, we also raise up that there is much more to do as significant inequalities perdure and seem almost intractable.  Echoing Dr. King we ask God’s providence to further “bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice.”