"The Beloved Community" 1/16/05

Tonight we gather to remember and celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.. It has become our tradition to use this time to not only remember the ways he changed the course of history but to continue the crusade for justice and equality for all people. Although King lived a very short time on this earth (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968), 39 years, his life continues to touch the lives of successive generations who still want to live the dream.

Many of us here spent a goodly part of our lives this pass year standing up for the equal rights of glbt people. We did that through letter writing campaigns, many of you spent hours upon hours working for political candidates, we attended rallies, we talked about our lives with other people and the importance of gaining equal marriage rights. It was a busy year in the giving of our time and energies to have the dream realized. On the surface the elections results, the defeat of equal marriage rights in many states took the wind out of our sails initially. But we all know as King knew change does not come about rapidly. And many times we take three steps forward and two steps back, but eventually we get to where we're going. This was true of the civil rights era and is also true in our day and time. Until all people can experience what Martin Luther King called the "Beloved Community" our work of justice seeking will never be done.

I believe that as a denomination and congregation of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches we have the opportunity to make a difference in our world. We say in our vision statement that we are empowered by God, united in diversity, creating change. When we look at Dr. King's idea of the beloved community it encompasses our vision statement.

Each of us came to MCC in search of a community. We needed to know there were other glbt people out there. We came looking for other spiritual people who had learned to celebrate their lives as glbt people. People like ourselves who wanted to know God's love and to share in a community that believed in God. What we found was a tapestry of people like ourselves and yet different. We come from a variety of faith backgrounds, occupations, we are young and old, gay and straight, we are liberal and conservative, we are physically challenged, we are black, white, and all the colors of God's rainbow. In this community diversity is celebrated. That's part of what makes God's world so wonderful. And in that diversity we also find our unity. We are all equal. No one is any better or worse than the person next to us. Dr. King said this about the Beloved Community: ""In a real sense, all life is interrelated. All men (and women) are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single a garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." He went on to say:" I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be." If we spent a lifetime living each day acting upon the realization that we are in this life together - think what a difference we would make. I am convinced there would be no more poverty, that the wealth of the world would be shared equally. Everyone would have access to health care, every one would have a roof over their head. We would truly realize that we are" tied in a single garment of destiny".

As we've seen during the recent earthquakes and subsequent disaster the outpouring of financial generosity has been truly amazing. It seems like when bad things happen we know how to pull together. What if we as a world really cared about each other in the good times as well as the times of disaster imagine the way things might be.

In Dr. King's idea of a "Beloved Community:" racism, and all forms of bigotry and prejudice will be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood. Personal disputes and international disputes would be resolved through peaceful conflict-resolution and reconciliation of adversaries. Military power would be a thing of the pass. We would all learn to sit down at the table together and work through our disagreements. In families, at work, in our neighborhoods, and in our world love and trust will triumph over fear and hatred. Peace with justice for all would prevail. A tall order - maybe. But each one of us has the opportunity to touch the life of another person everyday as we speak out for truth, as we set out of closets of fear and tell our stories. As we try to understand one another, to listen to each other and, to reach out in kindness to literally change our little corner of the world.

As we celebrate Dr. King's holiday tomorrow may we begin with a prayer that acknowledges our concern for the person next to us who we love dearly as well as the stranger who is our brother or sister on the street or across the world. Begin to think about the ways you can share what you have with someone in need. Each one of us is truly blessed and we have much to share through our time, talents, and financial resources. May tomorrow not only be a day to remember and celebrate but to show by our actions that we are united in our diversity and that will create change. Don't ever underestimate the power of your words and actions. What you say and do matters and can change our world. Let us work to make the Beloved Community a reality in our day.