At our service this morning, I described two opportunities to gather with interfaith friends this week. Here are links to more detailed information:
- Martin Luther King Day event
Monday, January 16 from 5:30-7 pm
More information here - Inauguration Day Vigil
Friday, January 20 at 5:30 pm
More information here
And the two passages we heard by Martin Luther King, Jr. this morning:
From the Sermon at Temple Israel of Hollywood, delivered 26 February 1965:
There are certain technical words within every academic discipline which soon become stereotypes and clichés. Every academic discipline has its technical nomenclature. Modern psychology has a word that is probably used more than any other word in psychology. It is the word “maladjusted.” Certainly we all want to live the well adjusted life in order to avoid neurotic and [anxious] personalities. But I must honestly say to you tonight my friends that there are some things in our world, there are some things in our nation to which I’m proud to be maladjusted, to which I call upon all men of goodwill to be maladjusted until the good society is realized. I must honestly say to you that I never intend to adjust myself to segregation and discrimination. I never intend to become adjusted to religious bigotry. I never intend to adjust myself to economic conditions that will take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few. I never intend to adjust myself to the madness of militarism and the self defeating effects of physical violence.
In his essay “The Power of Nonviolence,” he wrote about agape love:
The Greek language uses three words for love. It talks about eros.
Eros is a sort of aesthetic love. It has come to us to be a sort of
romantic love and it stands with all of its beauty. But when we speak
of loving those who oppose us we’re not talking about eros. The Greek
language talks about philia and this is a sort of reciprocal love
between personal friends. This is a vital, valuable love. But when we
talk of loving those who oppose you and those who seek to defeat you
we are not talking about eros or philia. The Greek language comes out
with another word and it is agape. Agape is understanding, creative,
redemptive good will for all men. Biblical theologians would say it is
the love of God working in the minds of men. It is an overflowing love
which seeks nothing in return. And when you come to love on this level
you begin to love [others] not because they are likeable, not because
they do things that attract us, but because God loves them and here we
love the person who does the evil deed while hating the deed that the
person does.