Come and See

Date: January 16, 2011, Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday
Scripture Lesson: John 1:29-42
Sermon: Come and See
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

In The Trumpet of Conscience of 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. discusses his opposition to the Vietnam War. He writes:
It is many months now since I found myself obliged by conscience to end my silence and to take a public stand against my country’s war in Vietnam. . . I cannot speak about the great themes of violence and nonviolence, of social change and of hope for the future, without reflecting on the tremendous violence of Vietnam. . .

Since the spring of 1967, when I first made public my opposition to my government’s policy, many persons have questioned me about the wisdom of my decision. ‘Why you?’ they have said. ‘Peace and civil rights don’t mix. Aren’t you hurting the cause of your people?’ And when I hear such questions, I have been greatly saddened, for they meant that the inquirers have never really known me, my commitment, or my calling. [The Trumpet of Conscience in A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr. edited by James M. Washington, p. 634]

King blanched at his life’s work being restricted to the realm of civil rights activist. That was a small, narrow, confined description which denied the realities and interconnectedness of worldwide injustice and violence that King sought to bring to the light of day. For King, “Justice is indivisible.” [Ibid, p. 636] It was about all who were oppressed, all over the world. King was a universalist, and yet is known and is remembered primarily as an advocate for civil rights for African Americans in the United States.

In the scripture that we heard this morning from the gospel of John, Jesus has been baptized by John and is beginning his ministry. Followers of John are wondering about this new teacher. Who is he? What is his message? And Jesus invites them to, “Come and see.” Come and see where he is staying. Come and see what he is all about. Come and see how he lives. Come and see who he is. Come and see what he cares about. Come and see what he is like. Come and see what he teaches. Come and see the whole picture. “Come and see” is an invitation to full disclosure. Come and see. Then decide. Jesus was not a single issue savior luring people to his product with catchy sound bites. He rejects reductionism. The gospel is about real life, full life, whole life, all life. It is comprehensive and cosmic is scope. And Jesus invites people to experience the whole picture. Come and see.

So many people were attracted to the ministry of Jesus because it was broad in scope. He spoke to people in many different conditions and life circumstances offering compassion, grace, and community. Jesus reached out to the poor, to the sick, to the downtrodden, as well as those in positions of authority and power, and to the rich. He included those who were sidelined and redlined and maligned. Regardless of ethnicity, religious preference, gender, or job, Jesus had a word of comfort, new life, and hope. Come and see. Try it out. Then decide. And some walked away. The universal scope was too much. Or the personal cost was too great. People were never turned away by Jesus, they turned away of their own accord. Jesus never compromised on “Come and see.” He held nothing back in his radical commitment to universal love.

The ministry of Martin Luther King, Jr. was based on a comprehensive understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. King was first and foremost a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. King took Jesus up on his invitation to “Come and see.” King saw the gospel in all of its fullness: love for ALL people; love of enemy; healing and hope for all; a message based on the sacredness of each and every person; a calling to anti-violence and justice. King was moved and motivated by the full gospel of Jesus Christ, not a reductionist version of Christianity, because he accepted Jesus’ offer to “Come and see.”

King embraced the full depth and breadth of the gospel. This is where King gets his commitment to racial justice, economic justice, and non-violence. This is where King gets his vision of an interconnected human family crossing all borders and divides. This is where King gets his spiritual strength that stands up to all opposition with love and understanding. This is where King gets his love that casts out all fear. It is from the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a response to Jesus’ invitation to “Come and see.” King has experienced Jesus’ full disclosure and responds with wholehearted commitment. King affirms his commitment to the ministry of Jesus Christ, and explains, “To me the relationship of this ministry to the making of peace is so obvious that I sometimes marvel at those who ask me why I am speaking against the war.” [Ibid]

Jesus invited people to “Come and see.” Experience the full breadth of his teachings and the transformation that ensues. King responded and his life was shaped and moulded by that experience. As the body of Christ today, as the community of faith entrusted with stewardship of the gospel, our calling is to invite others to “Come and see.” See the full breadth of life in Christ. In a world hungry for healing and meaning and justice and hope and an alternative to the path of destruction and death that captivates our society, we are called to invite others to “Come and see.” Come and see another way of life. A way of meaning and purpose. A way of healing and wholeness for ourselves and for the world. A way of peace and decency and respect. A way of power and grace.

Many people who need the message of Christ have nothing to do with the church because they just don’t know all that life in Christ has to offer. No one has invited them to come and see the whole picture. Others have turned away from the church because the church has chosen to follow, endorse, proclaim, and perpetuate only a portion of the teachings of Jesus. Maybe it’s about grace and love for “us,” but not for “them.” So they haven’t been exposed to the full disclosure practiced by Jesus. Often the church has offered only a reductionist version of the gospel, and not the full breadth of the Christian message. This is a temptation for every church. Perhaps the focus is on liturgy and worship, to the neglect of personal and social ethical transformation. Maybe the message is narrowed to social activism, with little sense of personal responsibility or piety. The church may be focused on the next life to the neglect of the present one. The promises of God may be stressed and their fulfillment in the lives of some but at the expense of others. There are countless ways for the church to become diverted from the full disclosure practiced by Jesus: Come and see. It is very easy for the church to narrow its focus and distort the gospel leading to deception and often abuse in the name of Christ. And it is disempowering to the very message that has the power of life. Every church faces this challenge.

Dr. King resisted this aberration. He sought to embrace the totality of the gospel message. Yes, he was a civil rights leader seeking to bring justice to American society by pursuing racial equality. But his commitment was greater than that. He sought to make the connections between injustice in this country and around the world. And he was committed to non-violent social change. Not just here in American society, in our domestic realm. But King was committed to non-violence, anti-militarism, and pacifism. It doesn’t take much imagination to project the condemnation that King, were he alive today, would have for America’s warring madness. In 1967, King identified “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today: my own government.” [Ibid] And when you consider US military expenditures, money and arms sales, not much has changed. King’s message still has not been fully heard or appreciated.

Some say that this is in part because of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday we celebrate this weekend: That the holiday was created to narrow the focus of King’s dream to racial equality in this country, a concept which is now widely accepted in theory, if not in practice. And with the holiday and the exclusive civil rights focus, King has been mainstreamed and co-opted thus disempowering and diverting attention from the more radical aspects of his vision. The celebrations and orations of this weekend will make precious little reference to King’s commitment to economic justice, non-violence, anti-militarism, and pacifism. In fact, there are usually vendors selling toy swords and guns at the MLK Parade here in St. Petersburg.

So what do we do with the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday? If we were paying attention to the full message of Dr. King, maybe we would fly the flags at half mast in recognition of the violence and injustice that continues to plague our society and black bunting would festoon the halls of government. Maybe MLK Day would be treated as a national day of mourning and repentance. Maybe the “I Have a Dream” speech should be banned so that people read King’s other speeches and sermons and books and interviews and are exposed to the full breadth of this commitment. Come and see. The full nature of King’s witness and not the narrow, truncated, distorted version that only addresses racial justice for African Americans in this country.

King saw the full implications of Jesus’ teachings: Love for all people. Equally. Honoring the dignity of each and every human being. In Jesus, King saw a God who so loved the whole world and everyone in it. King saw Jesus’ gospel of peace, not achieved through violence, but through non-violent reconciliation and love. Maybe the way to honor Dr. King is to hold non-violent training sessions like King did. And promote the commitment made by those who participated in the demonstrations organized by King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Alabama. “Every volunteer was required to sign a a commitment card that read:
I HEREBY PLEDGE MYSELF – MY PERSON AND BODY – TO THE NON-VIOLENT MOVEMENT. THEREFORE I WILL KEEP THE FOLLOWING TEN COMMANDMENTS:
1. MEDITATE daily on the teachings and life of Jesus. REMEMBER always that the nonviolent movement in Birmingham seeks
justice and reconciliation – not victory.
3. WALK and TALK in the manner of love, for God is love.
4. PRAY daily to be used by God in order that all men might be free.
5. SACRIFICE personal wishes in order that all men might be free.
6. OBSERVE with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy. 7. SEEK to perform regular service for others and for the world.
8. REFRAIN from the violence of fist, tongue, or heart.
9. STRIVE to be in good spiritual and bodily health.
10. FOLLOW the directions of the movement and of the captain of a
demonstration.

I sign this pledge, having seriously considered what I do and with the determination and will to persevere.” [Chapter 4, Why We Can’t Wait, in A Testament of Hope, pp. 537-538]

In addition to adding name and address, the volunteer signing this commitment form had to give the name and address of his or her nearest relative, because it was understood that this commitment involved risk. Maybe some of you here this morning signed such a pledge card.

Can you imagine countless newspapers printing this set of 10 commandments tomorrow instead of the “I Have a Dream” speech? Can you imagine children in school being taught about these 10 commandments of Dr. King and the civil rights movement? Can you imagine organizers handing out commitment cards like this at the MLK parade tomorrow? They would be left as litter for the city sanitation workers to pick up.

Come and see. Full disclosure. Let our sights not be narrow or limited. Let us not accept distortion or diversion. Like Dr. King, let us respond to Jesus’ invitation to experience the full gospel of love. Come and see. Amen.

A reasonable effort has been made to appropriately cite materials referenced in this sermon. For additional information, please contact Lakewood United Church of Christ.