Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. Dr. King is known to us primarily for the ways in which he advocated and fought for civil rights and racial justice in the United States of America. The impact of his thinking (through sermons, articles, and letters), his commitment to non-violence, and the ways in which he lead by role modelling, are worthy of deep examination and emulation. To have left the legacy and promoted the amount of societal change that he did in such a short amount of time (he was assassinated at the age of 39) is clearly remarkable.
One clear foundation upon which Dr. King unashamedly based his life’s teachings was his faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus’ teachings are what incited and grounded his hunger and thirst for justice, peace, and equality. There are so many of Dr. King’s speeches and letters that will be promoted and shared on this Martin Luther King Day 2021 and I hope these once again inspire each of us to embrace the noble ideals of racial justice and civil rights with renewed fervor. When thinking and reading (and hopefully acting upon) Dr. King’s work today, please remember that all of this stemmed from a life purposefully built on Jesus Christ. And so I leave you with a brief sermon outline that probably will not be among the top MLK thoughts shared today, but is foundational to how he lived his life and what he hoped for our lives as well.
Life’s Blueprint
Introduction: Before a house or a building is constructed an architect is usually called in to draw a blueprint. This blueprint serves as a model and a guide by which the structure is built. The beauty and quality of the building will be largely determined by the efficiency of the Blueprint. So in a sense each of us is an architect faced with the task of drawing a blueprint for the building of our lives. The very structure and foundation of our lives will depend on what goes into our blueprint. Here are some suggestions as to what should be in your blueprint.
What is in your life’s blueprint?
What are the principles and factors upon which you built your life?
I. Be deterred to give your wholehearted devotion to your life’s work.
II. Give your wholehearted devotion to high and noble ideals.
III. Seek to cultivate a deep and abiding religious faith.
Listen to the audio of the full sermon.
Source: MLKP, MBU, Martin Luther King, Jr., Papers, 1954-1968, Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, Boston University, Boston, Mass., Box 118, folder 6 (CSKV87-A10). (via: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/lifes-blueprint)
Other challenging thoughts from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:
- “The Mastery of Fear or Antidotes of Fear,” 1962-1963
- Letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963
- Paul’s Letter to American Christians, 1956