On April 7-8, Dr. Clarence Jones spoke at our church 50 years after Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination. We built this week’s GPS around Bible examples King cited in his April 1963 “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” White Christian and Jewish clergymen had published a critique of non-violent civil rights protests as too impatient and extreme. Click here to read the full text of King’s powerful response.
Daily Scripture:
Daniel 3:4 and a herald proclaimed, “Peoples! Nations! Languages! You are ordered 5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, zither, lute, bagpipe and the rest of the musical instruments, you fall down and worship the gold statue that N’vukhadnetzar the king has set up. 6 Whoever does not fall down and worship is to be thrown immediately into a blazing hot furnace.” 7 Therefore, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, zither, lute and the rest of the musical instruments, all the peoples, nations and languages fell down and worshipped the gold statue that N’vukhadnetzar the king had set up.
8 But then some Kasdim approached and began denouncing the Jews. 9 They said to N’vukhadnetzar the king, “May the king live forever! 10 Your majesty, you have ordered that everyone who hears sound of the horn, pipe, harp, zither, lute, bagpipe and the rest of the musical instruments is to fall down and worship the gold statue; 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship is to be thrown into a blazing hot furnace. 12 There are some Jews whom you have put in charge of the affairs of the province of Bavel, Shadrakh, Meishakh and ‘Aved-N’go; and these men, your majesty, have paid no attention to you. They do not serve your gods, and they do not worship the gold statue you set up.”
13 In a raging fury N’vukhadnetzar ordered that Shadrakh, Meishakh and ‘Aved-N’go be brought. When the men had been brought before the king, 14 N’vukhadnetzar said to them, “Shadrakh! Meishakh! ‘Aved-N’go! Is it true that you neither serve my gods nor worship the gold statue I set up? 15 All right, then. If you are prepared, when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, zither, lute, bagpipe and the rest of the musical instruments, to fall down and worship the gold statue, very well. But if you won’t worship, you will immediately be thrown into a blazing hot furnace — and what god will save you from my power then?” 16 Shadrakh, Meishakh and ‘Aved-N’go answered the king, “Your question doesn’t require an answer from us. 17 Your majesty, if our God, whom we serve, is able to save us, he will save us from the blazing hot furnace and from your power. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want you to know, your majesty, that we will neither serve your gods nor worship the gold statue which you have set up.” (Complete Jewish Bible)
***Acts 4:18 So they called them in again and ordered them under no circumstances to speak or teach in the name of Yeshua. 19 But Kefa and Yochanan answered, “You must judge whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God. 20 As for us, we can’t help talking about what we have actually seen and heard.” (Complete Jewish Bible)
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Acts 5:27 They conducted them to the Sanhedrin, where the cohen hagadol demanded of them, 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name! Look here! you have filled Yerushalayim with your teaching; moreover, you are determined to make us responsible for this man’s death!”
29 Kefa and the other emissaries answered, “We must obey God, not men. 30 The God of our fathers[Acts 5:30 Exodus 3:15] raised up Yeshua, whereas you men killed him by having him hanged on a stake.[Acts 5:30 Deuteronomy 21:22–23] 31 God has exalted this man at his right hand[Acts 5:31 Psalm 110:1] as Ruler and Savior, in order to enable Isra’el to do t’shuvah and have her sins forgiven. 32 We are witnesses to these things; so is the Ruach HaKodesh, whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Complete Jewish Bible)
***Reflection Questions:
“You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws…. Since we so diligently urge people to obey the Supreme Court's decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in public schools… it may seem rather paradoxical for us consciously to break laws. One may well ask: ‘How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?’…. There are two types of laws: just and unjust…. There is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was evidenced sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, on the ground that a higher moral law was at stake. It was practiced superbly by the early Christians, who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks rather than submit to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire.”
- At the end of the gospel of Luke (Acts was “volume 2” of the same story), Jesus told his disciples: “A change of heart and life for the forgiveness of sins must be preached in [my] name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:47-48). When the council and the high priest ordered them NOT to preach, they had no doubt who they must obey. Have you ever had to decide whether to obey God or some human authority? If so, what did you decide to do?
- Acts 5:42 said the apostles “left the council rejoicingbecause they had been regarded as worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of the name.” Before Jesus' death, the apostles had squabbled about which of them should be greatest. Now they were happy to face disgrace for obeying God. How had they come to see God’s priorities more clearly? How can you clarify God’s view of issues in your life?
Lord Jesus, I like it when people praise my church, or some act of service I do. Make me willing to also face ridicule or scorn, if that’s what it takes for me to live loyally to you. Amen.
Read today's Insight by Jennifer CreagarJennifer Creagar is the Financial Care Program Director in Congregational Care at Resurrection Leawood. She is married and loves spending time with her family, and she enjoys writing and photography.
I am a person who craves peace. My Enneagram type is #9 – the Peacemaker. I am a middle child. Conflict does not come naturally or comfortably to me. This has not always made things easy. Three of my four siblings grew up to be lawyers! I will go a long way to avoid heated discussions, even if they are only on Twitter. If cornered into participating, I am most likely the person who is trying to negotiate, trying to find a way to make everyone happy, willing to compromise in the name of peace, sometimes more than I should.
The GPS study today is aimed at peacemakers like me, who may be willing to give up too much in the name of peace (especially when “peace” might be more honestly defined as “personal comfort”).
Dr. King, in the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” talks about a “type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth…” and it suddenly dawns on me that in both the Biblical stories and Dr. King’s words, there is peace. The main characters, both in Scripture and in Dr. King’s life and ministry, were filled with the peace that comes from the certainty that you are doing right. The Apostles continued to spread God’s word, even when their own lives were at stake. Dr. King and his followers persisted in non-violent protest at risk of their own personal safety and freedom. He said that, “One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty.” There wasn’t a lot of personal comfort for either group, but their willingness to accept the penalty didn’t come from a desire for a comfortable peace, but from a desire for God’s will.
Take a few minutes and Google “Birmingham March” or “Civil Rights Marches 1963.” Look at the faces of the participants in the peaceful protests. In those faces I see determination, and even weariness, but I also see the peace that comes from knowing you are doing what is right and what God has called you to do. Warning: you will also see images that have no peace. You will see images of the “law” being used in a violent way full of hate. Those images did not originate in the actions of the peaceful, non-violent protesters. They originated in fear, hatred, ignorance and an abuse of the power of man-made law. The individuals committing those acts of violence have no peace.
Dr. King wrote, “Human progress …comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co workers with God…” The Apostle Paul wrote about “…the Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding…” (Philippians 4:7), and said “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8-9)
Dear Lord, help me to pursue real peace, and not just my personal desire to avoid the discomfort of conflict. Make me a co-worker with you in pursuit of justice and lasting peace for all. Amen.
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- “A process of self purification”
- “Outside agitator” or missionary?
- Prayer Tip: What Dr. King Would Say
- Luke’s ending—the risen Lord’s mission went on
- Luke’s ending—source or echo of Mark 16:12?
- Or download this week's printable GPS.
©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
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