“A Testament of Hope: Martin & Madiba”
Rev. Chris Mereschuk
January 19, 2014
!
Among the many blessings of the theology of the United Church of Christ and
Haydenville Congregational Church is that we believe in continuing revelation - - that
God continues to speak through the holy words of social prophets, both ordinary and
extraordinary people. These words both supplement and expand scripture for us, revealed
to us in a new context, speaking to new realities. Though spoken in modern times, they
often shine more light on the continuing centuries-old struggles for justice and liberation.
Such is the case with the words Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and President Nelson
Mandela. Both men emerged during a time of history when their people were in desperate
need of prophetic hope and literal liberation. King, striving for the civil rights and equal
treatment of African-Americans, and later those living in poverty, chose the path of
Christian non-violence. Nelson Mandela, fighting apartheid in South Africa, chose a
variety of means to reach his ends.
For King, as an ordained Baptist pastor, the Christian faith was central to his mission,
citing Jesus as the model for the message of the Civil Rights movement.
While Nelson Mandela had a spiritual background and was baptized in the Methodist
Church, he did not point to scripture or faith as explicitly. Perhaps this was due in part to
his recognition of the [Dutch Reformed] church’s complicity in apartheid. Upon his
release from prison and subsequent election as president of South Africa, Mandela
established the Truth & Reconciliation Commission. Headed by Archbishop Desmond
Tutu, this monumental effort to unmask individual, systemic, and governmental
violations of human rights mirrors the Christian values of restorative justice and
forgiveness - - seeking to hold oppressors accountable while striving to make all people
whole.
What I present to you today is a pairing of quotes from King and Mandela, matched with
scriptural reflections. Our readers will share with you words from these men on enemies,
interconnectedness, perseverance, and courage. I will then respond with a scripture
reading.
While the quotes from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are presented in their original
context - - from singular speeches and writings - - the quotes from President Nelson
Mandela are stitched together by topic. That is to say, I have taken artistic license in
choosing to group them together. The quotes have been left in their original language,
meaning that they are not necessarily gender inclusive, nor do they use modern
terminology in regards to race or ethnicity.
We meet these words from Mandela and King each in our own place, removed from their
context, and in some cases distanced from their original audience. Sometimes, the words
of King and Mandela - - again like the words of scripture - - can cause discomfort for
those of us who might have benefited or still benefit from a less-than-equal system of
formal and informal power. Many of us here, myself included, look far more like the
oppressors than the oppressed, racially and ethnically speaking, and so there is an
inherent risk of hypocrisy in the very idea of my sharing these words.
It is easier for me to counsel forgiveness and reconciliation when I am not the one who
has suffered indignity and dehumanizing treatment from individuals and systems. It is
easier for me to counsel courage and perseverance when I only have my own personal
obstacles to overcome, as opposed to deep cultural and even legally enforced prejudices
that deem me to be less-than-deserving of full human rights.
There is much to unpack. I do not believe that this will be a sermon that gives you
answers. In fact, I hope that this is a sermon that causes you to question.
I pray that you will find hope and inspiration in these words, and I am also willing to bet
that they might bring you some discomfort and conflict, receiving them and processing
them through your own lens.
If you find yourself discomforted or disturbed, as I often do, I invite you to sit with that
discomfort and own it, to prayerfully consider how you might come to resolve that
tension and discomfort, free from judgment, in the arms of a living, loving, truth-andjustice-seeking, reconciling God. The fight for rights, justice, and equality is not over,
and it is often a lifelong journey that begins within ourselves.
With that, hear now the words of Rev. Dr. King, President Mandela, and the Godinspired word of scripture.
Reading #1
MLK: “The Most Durable Power”
Always be sure that you struggle with Christian methods and Christian weapons.
Never succumb to the temptation of becoming bitter. As you press on for justice,
be sure to move with dignity and discipline, using only the weapon of love. Let no
man pull you so low as to hate him. Always avoid violence. If you succumb to the
temptation of using violence in your struggle, unborn generations will be the
recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness, and your chief legacy to the
future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos.
In your struggle for justice, let your oppressor know that you are not attempting to
defeat or humiliate him, or even to pay him back for injustices that he has heaped
upon you. Let him know that you are merely seeking justice for him as well as
yourself. Let him know that the festering sore of segregation debilitates the white
man as well as the Negro. With this attitude you will be able to keep your struggle
on high Christian standards.
I think I have discovered the highest good. It is love. This principle stands at the
center of the cosmos. As John says, “God is love.” He who loves is a participant in
the being of God. He who hates does not know God.
Nelson Mandela [Enemies]
“I always knew that deep down in every human heart, there is mercy and
generosity. No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin,
or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn
to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human
heart than the opposite.”
“Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.”
“It was a useful reminder that all men, even the most seemingly cold-blooded,
have a core of decency, and that if their heart is touched, they are capable of
changing.”
“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy.
Then he becomes your partner.”
“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”
“You will achieve more in this world through acts of mercy than you will through
acts of retribution.”
“Know your enemy — and learn about his favorite sport.”
Reading #1 Scripture
Luke 6:20-31
Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
‘Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you,
and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for
joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to
the prophets.
‘But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
‘Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
‘Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the
false prophets.
‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate
you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes
you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat
do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if
anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you
would have them do to you.
Romans 12:9-21
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another
with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be
ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere
in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those
who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not
be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do
not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of
all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved,
never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written,
‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry,
feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you
will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome
evil with good.
Reading #2
MLK: “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
16 April 1963
My Dear Fellow Clergymen:
While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent
statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom do I pause
to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms
that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than
such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for
constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that
your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in
what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.
I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth
century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond
the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of
Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco
Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own
home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.
Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I
cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in
Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught
in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.
Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford
to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives
inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its
bounds.
Reading #2 (Continued)
Nelson Mandela [Bound Together]
“I knew as well as I knew anything that the oppressor must be liberated just as
surely as the oppressed. A man who takes away another man’s freedom is a
prisoner of hatred, he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrowmindedness. I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else’s freedom, just
as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken from me. The oppressed and
the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.”
“Our human compassion binds us the one to the other - not in pity or
patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common
suffering into hope for the future.”
“Freedom is indivisible; the chains on any one of my people were the chains on all
of them, the chains on all of my people were the chains on me.”
“For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that
respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
“Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread,
water and salt for all. Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul
have been freed to fulfill themselves.”
Reading #2 Scripture
I Corinthians 12:12-26
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the
body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we
were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all
made to drink of one Spirit.
Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot were to
say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it
any less a part of the body. And if the ear were to say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I
do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. If
the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were
hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the
members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member,
where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The
eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’, nor again the head to the feet,
‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be
weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less
honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are
treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need
this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior
member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may
have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with
it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
Reading #3
MLK: “Our God is Marching On!”
Last Sunday, more than eight thousand of us started on a mighty walk from Selma,
Alabama. We have walked through desolate valleys and across the trying hills. We
have walked on meandering highways and rested our bodies on rocky byways.
Some of our faces are burned from the outpourings of the sweltering sun. Some
have literally slept in the mud. We have been drenched by the rains. Our bodies
are tired and our feet are somewhat sore."
I know you are asking today, "How long will it take?" Somebody's asking, "How
long will prejudice blind the visions of men, darken their understanding, and drive
bright-eyed wisdom from her sacred throne?" Somebody's asking, "When will
wounded justice, lying prostrate on the streets of Selma and Birmingham and
communities all over the South, be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme
among the children of men?"
Somebody's asking, "When will the radiant star of hope be plunged against the
nocturnal bosom of this lonely night, plucked from weary souls with chains of fear
and the manacles of death? How long will justice be crucified, and truth bear it?"
I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however
frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because "truth crushed to earth will rise
again." How long? Not long, because "no lie can live forever."
How long? Not long, because "you shall reap what you sow."
How long? Not long:
Truth forever on the scaffold,
Wrong forever on the throne,
Yet that scaffold sways the future,
And, behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow,
Keeping watch above his own.
How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends
toward justice.
How long? Not long, because: Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the
Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He has loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat.
O, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant my feet!
Our God is marching on.
Glory, hallelujah! Glory, hallelujah!
Glory, hallelujah! Glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.
Reading #3 (continued)
Nelson Mandela [Courage]
“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew
if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.”
“There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass
through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the
mountaintop of our desires.”
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The
brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
“We owe our children – the most vulnerable citizens in any society – a life free
from violence and fear.”
“And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence
automatically liberates others.”
Reading #3 Scripture: Chris
Romans 8:18-25
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the
glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the
revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of
its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation
itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the
glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning
in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the
first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption
of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For
who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it
with patience.