On Christmas Eve 1967, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stepped up to the pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to preach what would be his last Christmas sermon. It was a perilous time, not so different from our own, with war raging in Viet Nam and the struggle for racial justice ongoing, and King spoke to the moment:
Peace on earth this Christmas season finds us a rather bewildered human race. We neither have peace within nor peace without. Everywhere paralyzing fears harrow people by day and haunt them by night. Our world is sick with war; everywhere we turn we see its ominous possibilities. And yet, my friends, a Christmas hope for peace and goodwill toward all men can no longer be dismissed as a kind of pious dream of some utopian hope. … We must either learn to live together as brothers or we’re all going to perish together as fools. … It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.
Like many of you, I have been watching with horror the devastation caused by the fires in Los Angeles. Also like many of you, I have friends and family who live in the fire zone (and who, thank goodness, are all safe). One family member who has been displaced posted an update on social media to let us know they were okay and to express gratitude for all the support they have received. They also asked that we not talk to them about blame because, right now, no one has the time for that. They need to focus on mutual support within their community and are asking for all the positive thoughts and prayers they can get. They know they cannot get through this on their own.
As we prepare for the inauguration of a new president, as we celebrate the legacy of Dr. King, and as we support those affected by the fires, let us be mindful of how we can be most helpful to each other: not by pointing fingers and casting blame, but by sustaining a “network of mutuality” with love and care. Because whatever affects one, affects us all.
