What Would MLK Tweet?
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV UK)
A few months ago I stumbled across an article entitled “What Would Martin Luther King Jr. Tweet?” written by Alveda King, Dr. King’s niece. I’m sure that many of us remember the great speeches Dr. King gave during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. But sometimes we can forget that he was first and foremost a preacher. And we can overlook that much of his rhetorical power came from his tenure in the pulpit and immersion in God’s word. He understood that the fight for Civil Rights was tied to his eternal faith in our Lord. And it was this understanding of the Gospel that allowed him to look past the obstacles standing in his way and keep pressing on.
As I was wondering what Martin Luther King would tweet now, I couldn’t help but think of a sermon he gave in 1957 entitled “Love Your Enemies.” In this message he examined Christ’s commandment in the Gospel of Matthew, and unpacked the meaning behind the Greek word our Lord used for “love”—Agape. “Agape love is a love that seeks nothing in return. It is an overflowing love. It’s what theologians would call the love of God working in the lives of men. And when you rise to love on this level you begin to love men not because they are likeable but because God loves them. You look at every man and you love him because you know God loves them. And he might be the worst person you’ve ever seen. And this is what Jesus means, I think in this very passage, when he says ‘love your enemy’ and it’s significant that he does not say ‘like’ your enemy.” (Love Your Enemies, Sermon, MLK Jr. 1957)
He then went on to remind his congregation that you don’t have to like what someone says or agree with the actions that they take—but Jesus does command us to love them. It was this revolutionary idea of love that seeks nothing in return which we find at the heart of Christ’s message. And it was his understanding of this gospel that enabled Dr. King and those who worked alongside him to transform his nation for the better.
It is extremely difficult to condense someone’s entire life message down into a 140-character tweet. But I think we can see from his life lived out, that he tried to love the way Christ loved. And he encouraged all those to whom he preached to live out this kind of love. So in that light, I think Dr. King would tweet something like this: “Have faith in the God of the Gospel. God is Love. Love never fails.”
Prayer
Our loving Father, thank you that you are not like us! We have such limited ideas about love, especially when we carefully consider your love for us. As we seek to walk ever closer to you, may we emulate your love for others. Through Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen
Study by Joseph Tkach
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About the Author:
Joseph Tkach is the President of Grace Communion International (the Denominational name of The Worldwide Church of God UK), and resides in California, USA.
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