Eternal God,
Creator of us all,
Sustainer of our lives
With food, faith, and friendship,
Ever-accessible source of hope,
What can we do when we are surrounded by
People driven by fear?
How can we overcome the pervasiveness of hatred?
What abilities have you given us
to prevail
In our struggle for equality?
We honor today the memory of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
Who engaged in this struggle throughout his life,
As he was surrounded by people who acted out of hatred and fear
And ignorance of “the other.”
We remember his words that directed his response and can inspire us today:
“I have decided to stick with love
Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
Because of Dr. King’s leadership
We know that hate will only
harden our hearts
And that love will open our hearts
To compassion
To understanding
To mutual support
To the common humanity that You, O God,
Have placed inside every one of us
So that we can more easily find each other
And make common cause with one another
To create a better world.
Dr. King taught us that
Love is not reserved for just some people;
it is for everyone.
Justice is not reserved for only some people,
it is for everyone.
And the possibility of living a good life,
one of opportunity and even prosperity,
Should be for everyone.
We can make this happen
Through love
Through support
Through listening to
our respective stories
Through caring
Through healing
And through hope.
God is telling us now
Be the light that drives out darkness
Be the love that drives out hatred.
Be the angels of mercy and compassion
That will make real the promise of justice, freedom and equality.
And remember that you can only do this together.
May we hear God’s voice in our sharing of community this morning.
And May God’s Oneness resonate
deep within our hearts every moment of every day so that we will learn
To become one.
Amen.
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