Creating,
Redeeming, Sustaining God, seeker of justice and pursuer of peace: We gather this afternoon in memory and
celebration. We remember, today, your
servant Martin, whose life was all too brief, but who, in his life, taught us something
about justice, taught us something about changing the world, taught us
something about the beloved community, taught us something about the beauty of
each person, taught us something about the power of dreams, taught us something
about the strength to love. We celebrate
the way his life continues to send ripples of faith, hope, love and courage
into our world.
If
all we do is remember, if all we do is celebrate, we miss an opportunity that
your Spirit presents to us today, the opportunity to be moved and changed in
our own lives. May our remembering and
celebrating lead to transformation. Move
us in the direction of that complete life that Martin preached about – a life
where we love ourselves rightly, where we engage in action to help others, and
where we orient ourselves to you, O God.
In Dr. King’s own words: when you
get all three of these together, you can walk and not get weary. You can look up and see the morning stars
singing together, and the children of God shouting for joy. When you get all of these working together in
your very life, justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like a
mighty stream.
Transform
us today O God, as we remember, as we celebrate. Amen.
