
When I was younger, I always used to wonder (oohh…that could be fun song lyric) why we took off MLK day from school but didn’t take off the combined birthdays of our first and one of our greatest presidents and why that “special” day wasn’t on either one of their birthdays. I have since grown to highly respect the work and ministry of Martin Luther King and personally feel like much of what he stood for and fought against has long since been forgotten or distorted. Even though it is not as obvious or celebrated and in many cases the table has been turned in the opposite direction, there is just as much hatred, racism, and discrimination in America today. Trying not to dive into too much politics and debate here, I’ll ask a single question that has been on my heart all week. Has the church decided it is not important to celebrate MLK Day anymore?
I heard of one story that moved me and made me ask myself why this kind of celebration or joint Christian effort is not happening more often in more places. If you think about it, most church congregations are mostly white or mostly black. There are few that successfully blur that line. And if there is one time of the year that line should always be ignored, it was this past weekend. I understand that certain people like certain styles of worship and get uncomfortable (or bored depending on what side you are coming from) in worship environments they are not “used” to, but I personally think it would do us all a lot of good to do what ever it takes to keep the color lines blurred.
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