Liturgy 117: The Moral Gravity of Pastor Martin
A Prayer to Seek God inside the (Dis)comforts of Babylon
Listen
I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers.
First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.
While Mr. Boutwell is a much more gentle person than Mr. Connor, they are both segregationists, dedicated to maintenance of the status quo. I have hope that Mr. Boutwell will be reasonable enough to see the futility of massive resistance to desegregation. But he will not see this without pressure from devotees of civil rights. My friends, I must say to you that we have not made a single gain in civil rights without determined legal and nonviolent pressure. Lamentably, it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture; but, as Reinhold Niebuhr has reminded us, groups tend to be more immoral than individuals.
When I was suddenly catapulted into the leadership of the bus protest in Montgomery, Alabama, a few years ago, I felt we would be supported by the white church. I felt that the white ministers, priests and rabbis of the South would be among our strongest allies. Instead, some have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and misrepresenting its leaders; all too many others have been more cautious than courageous and have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained glass windows.
Never before have I written so long a letter. I'm afraid it is much too long to take your precious time. I can assure you that it would have been much shorter if I had been writing from a comfortable desk, but what else can one do when he is alone in a narrow jail cell, other than write long letters, think long thoughts and pray long prayers?
Excerpts from Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail
“King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter… We want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Daniel 3
Pray
LORD
The moral gravity
of Pastor Martin
unsettles me.
His sorrow
handwritten, poured out
from a Birmingham jail
invites my confession.
I have been
the moderate
white clergyman.
I have used intellect to explain
what the heart hesitates to carry.
Order can feel like peace.
Distance can feel like wisdom.
LORD
Teach me
a contemplation
that does not float above the world
but stands barefoot in it.
May I not settle
for a negating absence of conflict
but embrace the necessary tension
that bends the winding road
towards justice.
Amen
Abide
Dear Friend
May you pause on this holy day.
May you remember those who practiced non-violence with their bodies, interrupting the rhythms of unjust economies, opening schoolhouse doors, resisting laws that told children they were less than beloved.
Now turn gently
towards your own place in the world.
Notice the ground beneath your feet,
the comforts that hold you
the borders, seen and unseen,
that shape your days.
Listen for God’s invitation
rising from within
your city
your workplace
your nation-state.
May your life
tend what is good
make room for justice
and remain attentive
to the quiet cries
that ask for mercy.
Stay here awhile.
In the Name of the Risen Christ
who speaks to us on the Damascus Road
and calls us to a deeper life
Amen