In 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called on our nation to “undergo a radical revolution of values,” to shift from prioritizing things to caring about people.
“When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered,” Dr. King said.1
Nearly six decades later, his voice remains true and the invitation open. We must ask ourselves if national priorities reflect our personal values. And if not, what can we do in service to a radical revolution?
Gracious God, please grant us sensitivity in our souls to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and may we receive the grace of courage and conviction to go where the Spirit leads and say what it places on our hearts. For even as darkness seems to enclose us, we trust You because our True Light has come and shines still.
Jesus already defeated darkness. The tidal shift is living as He did.
We are in the world but not of it. We have been sent into the world to make known the person of Jesus, the God of heaven; the struggle we face is not abandoning society but claiming our spiritual mission and living in the world as people who don’t belong to it.
The ruthless temptation is to fixate on evil actors; by doing so, we risk claiming light but still walking in darkness and thus losing fellowship with Christ.2 The world tempts us not only to follow false gods and bow to those giant triplets, but also to fret over the world’s inevitable demise.
And fretting leads to fruitless fatigue. Whereas Jesus leads us to touch lives and change their worlds by loving them with the truth.
In times such as ours, daily interactions become divine invitations to be soldiers of Light.
Following Jesus, and working in His service, does not mean a carefree existence but courageous endurance grown from uncommon faith. Salvation is scary when we focus on the pitfalls rather than the spirit of miracle-working peace that dwells within us3 and for which we are instruments.
Perhaps the radical aspect of the revolution before us is a simple, small, and delicate strategy, the faith to trust grassroots, step-by-step, and face-to-face, when the world boasts being bigger and better. After all, God could have sent us a Lord and King who wielded force from a throne, yet Christ’s healing mission and teaching ministry were based on encounter and dialogue.
Thus, Jesus equips us to participate in this radical revolution by offering to walk with us and teach us.4
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
God stoops low from heaven and comes to be with us; Jesus knelt even lower. By washing His disciples’ feet, Jesus not only provides an inverse model of leadership but also displays the significance of individual encounter and the dignity exchanged by caring for another’s unique needs.5
Imagine the soothing sensation of having your feet gently held, bathed in warm water, and toweled clean and dry. Now imagine the realization of being held so intimately by the Lord of all.
How might the disciples have felt?
Humbled? Most definitely. Stunned? Inspired? Quite likely.
How about worthy?
A simple act of humility also stimulates self-worth in the other. And who better than Jesus to know the dignity required to be His disciples and stare down Satan with eyes full of light and love?
The selfless nature of Christ, who “did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage,”6 reveals the paradoxical power of humility. Jesus became nothing, a simple servant, and He was obedient to His mission until the bittersweet end. By valuing others above Himself, Jesus cultivated an environment abundant with faith, hope, and love – the riches of heaven and radical values here on earth.
The rest Jesus promises is right there in the wash basin, in the fluidity of God’s gracious love. As we accept and receive the blessing of being loved by God, we are also moved to be a blessing to others, to love and serve in response to being loved.
Perhaps finding that rest starts with seeking the wash basin and how it materializes according to our uniqueness, individuality, and the specific ways God has blessed each of us with gifts and skills. Blessedness received and shared lets our souls rest in the quiet self-fulfillment of living out our purpose to know God and let others know God loves them and wants to know them too.
In a world mad for more, senseless with striving, the radical revolution might start with simply being who God wants us to be.
Dearly loved and deeply blessed.
