As I sit in my living room, cozy and dry despite the rain pouring down outside today, I am thinking of the group who are right now making their way around Evanston in an interfaith “Walk for Warmth.” I am thinking, too, about the Community Renewal Society’s Faith in Action assembly starting just shortly down in Chicago. And these are just two of the local events I’m aware of, two of certainly dozens or more, attempting to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today, and to continue his legacy by joining in his work.
I subscribe to a daily newsletter summary on my email called theSkimm, exceedingly popular with millennials, which breaks down each day’s news in a few highlights that I can quickly digest before going about my day. And I was pleased to note that, today, the Skimm’s editors chose to devote all of their content to MLK Day. They reminded me that there are always options for doing something, even if it is small, to keep pursuing King’s “beloved community” – a vision derived in no small part from scripture. It is a community where no one has too little while others have too much; where everyone is included, and valued, and cared for. A community marked by love and generosity.
Today’s newsletter listed ideas for pursuing the beloved community for all of the following: people who have time, people who have money, and people who have skills to donate in service of this mission. All of us, I bet, have at least one of those. And all of them – indeed, all of us, are needed.
So often, when I talk about “time, talents, and resources” (i.e. money), it’s in the context of congregational stewardship. We need all of these, after all, to keep Winnetka Covenant Church going. But today reminds me that the vision is so much bigger than that. We don’t just need each other to share these things for our church and ourselves, but for our community and our world.
We need to remember that the beloved community won’t come through the work of one amazing activist, or a small group of them. It will require everyone to participate in some way. To sacrifice one meal out so they can give that $20 to a charitable organization, or to take one hour to have a difficult conversation about racism, or to knit one warm hat to give to a clothing drive.
Jesus once said to his disciples that “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” Today I am imagining how much we could change if the workers were many. It’s a dream that Rev. Dr. King shared, and one that still aches to come true.
How will you join in, today or in the days to come? Where is the Spirit prompting you, to join in the work of pursuing the Beloved Community?
-Pastor Jen
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