The Social Gospel Devo, Day 1: Martin Luther King, Jr.
Day 1: Martin Luther King, Jr.
Scripture: Philippians 1:12 ESV; Romans 5:1–10 ESV
Martin Luther King, Jr. became more revolutionary as his platform grew and he progressed in the eye of the American public and the world beyond it. Evidence of this is seen in his letter titled, Letter from a Birmingham Jail. In this letter, King is not concerned about coddling whiteness and the systems he has come to see for what they are. He condemns whiteness. His letter grabs whiteness and religiosity by its shoulders and shakes.
In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested and sent to Birmingham Jail in Birmingham, Alabama, to protest injustice against Black people. The amount of segregation, the violence toward Black people, and a host of other societal ills bothered King. So, he protested. And he used the platform that he had to speak out.
In the first chapter of Philippians, we hear from Paul, who is also in prison for spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Philippians 1:12–15, Paul shares that he is writing those who are members of the church at Philippi, and he lets them know he is in prison. As he is in prison, he lets him know that his work nor the work set before any of them stops because he is detained.
In Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Suffering and Faith, he says this,
“My personal trials have also taught me the value of unmerited suffering. As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways that I could respond to my situation: either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force.”
We know that Paul held a similar view. Counting his suffering to be necessary for the cause of the cross. In Romans 5, Paul counts it all joy amid his suffering and explains the fruit that suffering produces.
Both men were placed in positions where their beliefs were discounted by the public. Yet, both men held true to their beliefs.
The point is not to create our own suffering but to recognize that we choose how we come out on the other side.
As we find ourselves being faced with injustices, harm, violence, and a host of other things, may we hand over our weaknesses to God and come back with transformative strength.
Reflection Questions:
- What does suffering mean to you? What has it looked like?
- What does justice mean to you?
- Have you ever found yourself fighting back against a person or system’s violence toward you? What was the work you did to overcome it?
- What does peace look like for you?
Read Day 2 of The Social Gospel devotional featuring Fannie Lou Hamer.
Thank you for reading our social gospel devotional. If you would like to engage more with the idea of The Social Gospel, please visit our YouTube channel for our current sermon series and docu-sermon on the topic.
