Saturday, January 16, 2021
Following the success of the Montgomery bus boycott, in 1957 the young pastor who was a leading force in it, Martin Luther King wrote an essay for one of my favorite publications, The Christian Century. He used the term “nonviolent resistance” as the way to overcome oppression and injustice.
King wrote: “The basic question which confronts the world’s oppressed is: How is the struggle against the forces of injustice to be waged?” There is the way of violence but “violence solves no problems. It merely creates new and more complicated ones.” It’s true, of course, but we all know how difficult it is to turn the other cheek not to mention wonder how we take on the powers and principalities of this world nonviolently.
But, we say, is this practical? How can nonviolence respond to the anger and hatred we have seen not just over the past few months, but years? How can those of us who want to create a more open society work toward that goal? These are tough questions, to be sure, but they are questions that must be addressed if we want a new America.
Prayer for the Day
O God of tenderness and compassion, we are bewildered,
For we see such violence and anger toward one another,
Uncertain of how to create meaningful change.
We listen to easy words that provide no solutions,
Bring us closer to your way, O Lord, and teach us how to love,
For in our heart of hearts we know this is the way
We ask this in the name of him who is our Model,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen
Thoughts for the Day
The limitation of riots, moral questions aside, is that they cannot win and their participants know it. Hence, rioting is not revolutionary but reactionary because it invites defeat. It involves an emotional catharsis, but it must be followed by a sense of futility.
- Martin Luther King (1929-1968)
Life is about listening, learning, and never giving up. As long as you are here on earth, you are here for a purpose and it’s not about you. It’s about making the world a better place to live in.
-Leah Chase, social activist (1923-2019)
Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.
Amos 5: 23-24