The third Monday in January (which happens to be today) marks a day of great celebration in America. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) was a man of God who helped pave the way for unity and freedom. The point of this holiday is not to celebrate all that MLK was, for at this point we are well acquainted with his sins. Rather, the point is to lift up some magnificent things he stood for and some necessary and amazing achievements of the civil rights era in which he was a key leader.
MLK led the nonviolent Civil Rights Movement that began in 1955, a wave of change that endeavored to provide constitutional and legal rights for African Americans. He lobbied for the courts and culture to confer dignity on black, brown and poor people alike—a dignity that he rightly pointed out is naturally conferred to them by God, our creator. Although his work was great, the lingering effects of systemic racism and segregation still continue in our country today. As believers, it is imperative that, even if we have never personally experienced this kind of hate, we empathize with those in our lives who have.
As a nation and as Christians, we continue to honor this man more than 60 years later. While we don’t exalt him to a Godlike level, we acknowledge that his Christ-filled heart fueled his courage and voice for all black Americans. Here are a few reasons why and how, as college students in an era of cancel culture and polarization, you should celebrate MLK Day.
MLK Loved God, Though Imperfectly
MLK was imperfect, but he still loved God. He is not unlike the rest of us, who love our Heavenly Father yet continue to falter, stumble, and fall. Everything MLK did to radically communicate the value of all humans, particularly black people, was born out of his love for God. In spite of his love for God, he was not a perfect man.
In the last few years, many reports have hit the news exposing his public and private sins. While his sins are egregious, I am reminded that there is only one perfect man who ever lived, and that was Jesus Christ. King followed the pattern of many “greats” in the Bible (including Abraham, Noah, Moses, and King David)—doing many great things for God, yet still needing saving grace from God. He needed that grace not just for salvation, but to shape and inform his life.
King’s imperfection reminds all of us sinners that we need a Savior, and that Savior is able to use very broken people to accomplish His purposes on this earth. As you honor MLK, remember there is only one worthy of all honor, praise, and glory, and He can use you to play a part in doing His will on earth.
MLK Envisioned a Better Future
MLK was a courageous man, a visionary. He was articulate and compelling. He stared straight in the eyes of men who turned the cogs of America’s cultural wheels and told them they were wrong. In so doing, other people—black and white alike—found similar courage to speak out, stand in power, and wage war against the evil around them.
“Martin Luther King was a courageous man, a visionary.”
Jon Nelson
I’m reminded of Esther in the Bible. She was a Jewish, God-fearing woman married to a king that didn’t know God. Her cousin, Mordecai, challenged Esther when she feared going to the king:
“For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place… And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 (emphasis added).
MLK’s life was a “such a time as this” life. His time had come, he was ready, and he stepped into his God-ordained moment to lead a movement that had been struggling to find a national voice for years.
In his final sermon entitled, “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top”, Dr. King compared himself to Moses who saw the land God had promised the Israelites but knew he wouldn’t enter it (Num 27:12, Deut 34.) Dr. King said,
“He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain and I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!”
The significance of these few lines cannot be overstated, for Dr. King was murdered by an assassin’s bullet the very next day. MLK envisioned a better future, and he was willing to make great sacrifices to strive for that future, even though he himself would not enjoy it. As you remember MLK, seek God and ask how you can pave the way for a better future for those who come after you.
"As you remember MLK, seek God and ask how you can pave the way for a better future for those who come after you." -@jnelson #collegiatedisciplemaker Why Should College Students Celebrate MLK Day? Click To TweetMLK Acted on What He Believed
These examples are but a few that demonstrate how Dr. King’s faith and his passion for justice and equality were inextricably linked. It was impossible for him to live for one without the other.
His faith was personal. He not only believed in the truth of God’s Word; he did what the Word tells all of us to do—love one another as image bearers of God. He took action no matter the cost. As you celebrate and remember the man, renew your own commitment to live and treat others as our Lord would have us to.
How to Celebrate MLK
Maybe you have never celebrated this day before because it has not meant as much to you personally. However, I want to challenge you to ask questions and learn. You, college students, carry the torch of remembering the past and shaping the future. It is important that you educate yourselves and honor those who deserve to be honored in the faith.
- Take time to read one of the books written by Martin Luther King Jr. himself. (Letters from a Birmingham Jail or Why We Can’t Wait)
- Talk to others who have experienced racism about their encounters, and genuinely learn from them. Be a listener.
- Go to a local celebration of MLK and/ or march in a peaceful parade.
- Pray. Do this alone or try to get your small group or BSU together to pray for unity in the church and in our nation.
- Brainstorm ways that your BSU/BCM can be more unifying across ethnic and socioeconomic lines and create an action plan for the year.
MLK’s Mission Continues With Us
Racism is still a problem because sin exists, but as believers we get to point people to the solution of Christ. We can mirror Christ in how we care. As we ask the Lord to help us love well and be the example to the world, may we know our efforts for understanding and unity are not wasted.
Psalm 89:14 says it well, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face.”
This MLK Day, may we honor a man well worth our respect who led the way with Jesus and did what was right. His mission of unity continues with us, the people of God.
