My first blog of the new year. Happy 2009 everyone. I am feeling optimistic and hopeful about the direction my life and the times are heading.
I'm thinking about the reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this morning. It's been several years since the last time I went to his childhood home in Atlanta. Yesterday I preached at church for the first time and used two excerpts from his speeches, the Nobel Prize Acceptance and the sermon the Drum Major Instinct. In researching Dr. King, a huge light bulb came on. I am actually a few months older now than King was at the time of his assassination. Isn't that crazy? He was 35 when he won the Nobel Peace Prize. When I was 35, I hadn't even gotten the band to England.
My sermon was based on John 1:43-51, the calling of Phillip & Nathanael. It was entitled "Called (In The Name Of Love)." I spent time discussing how those disciples' reactions to their call was different, but ultimately yielded the same result; how in love, with love and in the name of love are the best ways we can respond to the call. Remember, He knows our hearts better than we do.
[Note: I will be preaching again on Sunday Feb. 15 at North Hollywood First United Methodist Church. The worship begins at 8:15 AM. Contact me or the church for more details]
During both of the worship services, I performed U2's Pride (In The Name Of Love), which was written about MLK. The second time I did it, in the main service I was nearly levelled to tears by the power of the lyric. To this day, I'm surprised that it took a band from Ireland to write the definitive pop song about Dr. King.
This has been a busy new year for me. Yesterday with the preaching; and at the studio I have a new role around the back of the house. I'm now supervising the singers and improv performers at the studio. It's exciting work and edifying, too. I'm supremely thankful to God that I'm actually doing a job that I don't want to leave at the end of the shift. Frankly, I'm thankful that I have a job.
Tomorrow, I have to be at the studio, but I will be near TV sets as much as possible. The DV-R will be set to capture all of the festivities for Obama's Inauguration. I attended Bush, Sr.'s inaugural while I was in college. It was fun, even though I was the loyal opposition. I have some twinge of regret at not being there in person tomorrow, but looking at the forecast, it will be toasty and in the low 80s here. Sorry, East Coast.
So, I encourage everyone to find a way to celebrate Dr. King in their hearts and actions. To paraphrase, King felt peace is a way of life, not a concept. Today is not just a day off, it's a day on!
Peace & Disco Beats
Comments
2 cold AND 2 inconvenient 4 u West Coast types. I live here in DC, and I will be under house arrest until the coronation is done. Everything they've said about street closings? I may as well go to Frederick (35 miles out) to get across the Potomac River to get to Alexandria (11 miles away from home). Nevermind. As in Manic Monday... without the Monday. Call it Virtual Monday. The day after the Monday holiday. Ridiculous.
As 4 2morrow, like Simba said, "I just can't WAIT - to be king..."
You could have stayed here, y'know! All you had 2 do was ask, my brother. I promise, it would have been conversation and laughs and wine and song and sports and UTCM.
As for John 1:43-51 - I pray as do you as should all of us that President (-elect, for now) Obama proves me wrong and you right, for if he does, we will all find ourselves better for it. But just because he says he can do all of these things doesn't mean he can. If the angels of God ascend and descend on the Son of Man (and I'll morph that to mankind, even though Jesus was the Son of Man...) as a result, so much the better. But I digress.
As 4 MLK? Long live his Dream. I think 2morrow is symbolic in so many good ways, even if he's not "my guy". Judging a man by the content of his character instead of the color of his skin is such a great opportunity... 4those who think like u and 4 those who think like me. May President Obama's policy effects match his rhetoric and historic symbol.
I want those pieces of paper in George Raveling's possession.
-Numero Dos