A day to celebrate Christ's Global Kingdom-Martin Luther King Day

The following was written by the Dean of Students at Covenant Theological Seminary Mike Higgins. It is a wonderful piece, easily read, and thoroughly digestible.

Martin Luther King Holiday: “A Day On not A Day Off”

The Lord Jesus Christ Explains Greatness, Service and Sacrifice to His Disciples

And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:42-45

The Apostle Paul Explains Selflessness and Mission to the Ephesian Elders

And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.  Acts 20:22-24

Martin Luther King’s:  “I've Been to The Mountaintop” Speech. Memphis, TN 3 Apr 1968

“Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop! And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will.” The next day he was assassinated.

To the Brothers and Sisters of the Covenant Seminary Family:

    This coming Monday, 16 January 2012, is the Martin Luther King Holiday. While I was a pastor in Atlanta, this holiday was often called “A Day On, not a Day Off.”  The purpose of this phrase was to encourage people to observe the holiday by taking some time to do things that are in accord with Dr. King’s example of sacrificial service in the Civil Rights Movement. I would suggest that you listen to a Dr. King speech and determine how you might answer its challenges. Maybe you could volunteer time at a charity or shelter; maybe there is someone in need in your neighborhood or family. It would be wonderful if you spent time in prayer concerning the poor or politically oppressed from a specific country.

    As stated in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, and Dr. Martin Luther King, we must be willing to share and possibly sacrifice our lives for the glory of God and the good of others. Our Lord Jesus sacrificed Himself to bring salvation to God’s elect; Paul sacrificed himself for the sake of preaching the Gospel to a hostile world; and Dr. King probably knew that the assassin’s bullet was not far off, but he pressed on for the sake of civil rights.

We cannot continue to pursue the gods of comfort, riches and pleasure and expect to live fulfilling and abundant lives. There has to be something bigger than us that we are willing to give ourselves to in order that God’s love and kindness might be expressed through our actions as His children. Let me ask you a question: “Does your life mean too much to you?” I am not asking you to commit suicide, but I am asking you to think about committing sacrifice. January 16^th is only one day of the 365 in this year. You have the opportunity to make a difference on every one. May the Lord bless you and your Family this coming King Holiday and in the coming Spring Semester.      Mike

Our own little family has a tradition on this day: to listen to the "I have a dream" speech made by Dr. King, then to pray for the gospel to go forth and racial hate to subside by the power of Christ and his Holy Spirit.  This is the first time our own little daughter will hear this speech and participate in this family tradition. As she grows it is our goal as her parents to raise her with the knowledge that Jesus has a love for his people, and his people are not of one color, ethnicity, or gender. The Kingdom of our risen King is much bigger than any racist sentiment could ever dream. Today is an opportunity to be reminded of Christ's global mission and take action with that in mind. Dr. King had a wonderful dream, but no amount of social action can change the heart of humanity. We naturally are sinners in need of a new heart. Praise God our King purchased you and me with a desire for peace and reconciliation in mind. Today is a wonderful day to take action with God's desire for peace and reconciliation in mind.

Our family will be taking some time to listen Dr. King, I hope yours does too.