Honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This service names the witness of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a sign of what the gospel demands. In Jesus Christ, God’s reconciling “Yes” to humanity judges every false lordship that denies the dignity of God’s children, including the powers and habits that sustain racism. Dr. King’s life and labor are remembered with gratitude as a public summons to costly love of neighbor. Such remembrance resists national self-congratulation; it must turn toward the ongoing work of justice to which Christ continues to send his people.

Call to Worship

Leader: God of justice and mercy, you have spoken your “Yes” to humanity in Jesus Christ.
People: We come to worship the One whose Word judges and heals.
Leader: In every age you raise up witnesses to truth and courage.
People: Make your church faithful in speech and in steadfast in love.
Leader: Today we give thanks for the life and witness of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
People: Turn our gratitude into obedience, for the sake of our neighbors.
Leader: Let us worship God.

Prayer of Confession

Leader: Let us confess our sin before God and one another.
God of grace, we confess that we have often made our peace with injustice. We have praised freedom while tolerating oppression. We have treated penultimate powers as if they were ultimate, and we have sought safety more than faithfulness. We confess the church’s complicity in racism, and our failure to honor the full dignity of your children. Forgive us. Unmask our self-justifications. Turn us again to Jesus Christ, the Lord of the church and the hope of the world. By your Spirit, form us for truthful speech and steady love. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Leader: Hear the good news: in Jesus Christ, God has reconciled the world to himself and does not abandon us to our sin.
People: Thanks be to God.
Leader: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and freed to live for our neighbors.
People: Amen.

Prayer of the People

Leader: God of all peoples, we give you thanks for the life and witness of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and for all who labored with him for justice and dignity. We praise you for every sign of your mercy in our common life: for voices that told the truth, for movements that exposed lies, for courage that endured. Strengthen all who work for civil rights, for fair housing, for equitable schools, for honest policing, and for the protection of every human life from dehumanization. Give wisdom to public officials, restraint to those who wield power, and courage to those who speak against violence. Comfort those who suffer under racism and all forms of oppression. Heal what is broken in your church, and make us a community that refuses every false lordship. Make us disciplined in hope and active in love, until your justice is more fully seen among us. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Charge and Blessing

Leader: Go now in the freedom of the gospel. Hold fast to Jesus Christ as the one true Lord. Remember the witness of Martin Luther King, Jr., with gratitude and with resolve. Speak truthfully, repent quickly, and love your neighbor without reserve. And may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.