(photo by Scott Ableman)

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.’S BIRTHDAY (BELOVED COMMUNITY DAY)

MUSIC & WORSHIP RESOURCES

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Charles Cotton, Young Adult Lectionary Team Liturgist

Worship Planning Notes

Today’s scripture in Matthew 5:43-45 gives us a new way to live: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” Essentially, love your enemies and pray for those who hurt you. This by far is one of the most difficult instructions of the Bible. But if we are to move forward and embrace Dr. King’s legacy of love and Jesus’ re-articulation of love, we must first love our enemies and pray for them and those who persecute us.

We must live as citizens of the Kingdom. Kingdom living requires us to reflect Christ in all that we do. Kingdom living requires us to forgive, love, and show mercy as Christ did. Dr. King modeled Kingdom living. There is strength in loving your enemies. Loving your enemies builds inner strength and resilience and is rewarded by God. It was not easy for Dr. King to march to Selma, be placed in jail, be talked about from the White House to the jailhouse but endure for the sake of being Christlike. Each one of us has the love DNA of Christ. It is up to us to utilize it for his glory and honor.

The Black Church must face the issue of same-sex marriage with loving, practical solutions. It must face the issue of HIV/AIDS with loving, practical solutions. It must face the issue of gender equality with loving, practical solutions. It must face the issue of teen violence with loving, practical solutions. This is the only way that we will live differently when we depart our communities of faith on King Day 2013.

What then can we do to remember Dr. King and live as children of the King? For this Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday allow me to suggest these ideas:

• Ask your congregants to invite persons who have opposite views than themselves to the Martin Luther King Jr. worship service at your church. During the worship service provide the space for prayers of forgiveness and reconciliation. Assign ministers and trained counselors to be at the altar for further prayer and guidance after the moment of prayer. At the conclusion of the service, have worshipers write down the name of their worst enemy. Collect all the responses as worshipers leave and place them in a garbage bag. This will symbolize forgiveness in word and deed.
  
  
• Ensure that all selections, scriptures, prayers, and sermons are centered on the theme. See suggestions below.
  
  
• After your day of worship and celebration, go out into your city. Find a homeless shelter, HIV/Aids Clinic, Food Bank, city mission, or Habitat for Humanity Project and participate in a day of service. Consider asking other congregations that are of different denominations to participate with you. This will infuse unity and community beyond the four walls of your church and denomination.
  
  
• Ask painters (visual artists), poets, singers, musicians, dancers, and actors to create a piece that embodies them loving and praying for persons who have opposite views than themselves. Encourage them to be creative within the sacred space of your church. There should be minimum guidelines for this suggestion. Allow the creativity that is within each individual to be reflected in his or her work. All participants, except painters, should keep their presentations between 3–5 minutes. Arts presentations should also be presented as a post celebration to your MLK Worship Service. Consider using your fellowship hall, community center, or family life center for this idea, as well as other frequently trafficked areas of your church.

(b) More about Jesus. By Eliza E. Hewitt. Tune, (SWEENEY, LM), by John R. Sweeney

(c) Leave It There. By Charles A. Tindley

(d) This Is My Father’s World. By Maltbie D. Babcock. Tune, (TERRA BEATA, SMD), by Franklin Sheppard

3. Spirituals or Traditional Songs
(a) Walk Together, Children. Spiritual

(b) The Lord Is Blessing Me Right Now. Traditional

(c) All My Help Comes from the Lord. By Cleophus Robinson

(d) He’s So Freely Passing Out Blessings. By Damian Price

4. Worship through Dance
(a) A Change Is Gonna Come. By Sam Cooke

(b) Others. By Meleasa Houghton

(c) Released. By Donald Lawrence

5. Anthems
(a) He Shall Feed His Flock. By James Cleveland

(b) Day and Night Praise. By Margaret Pleasant Douroux

6. Modern Songs
(a) Awesome. By Charles Jenkins

(b) After This. By Eric Davis and James Hairston

(c) Give Me. By Kirk Franklin

7. Offertory Song or Instrumental
(a) Give. By Donald Lawrence

(b) Release My Praise. By Eric Reed

(c) Crown Him Lord of All. By Patrick Love

(d) My Jesus, I Love Thee. By William R. Featherston

8. Song or Instrumental for the Period of Prayer
(a) I Am Thine. By Fanny J. Crosby

(b) Take It to the Lord in Prayer. By Nolan Williams Jr.

(c) Praying Spirit. By Elbernita Clark

(d) I Need You to Survive. By Hezekiah Walker

9. Sermonic Selection
(a) Step Aside. By Ronnie Garrett

(b) God Is Able. By Oscar Williams

(c) Stand. By Donnie McClurkin

(d) Yes, God Is Real. By Kenneth Morris

10. Invitational Song or Instrumental
(a) Give Me a Clean Heart. By Margaret P. Douroux

(b) Lord I Want to Be a Christian. Negro Spiritual

(c) I Surrender All. By Judson W. Van De Venter

(d) We Offer Christ. By Joel Britton

11. Benediction Song or Instrumental
(a) No More Drama. By Samuel Harris and Terry Lewis

(b) Love. By Kirk Franklin

(c) Till We Gather Again. By Stephen Key

(d) Love Train. By Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff

Cites and Additional Information for Music and Materials Listed

1. The Call to Worship – Faith and Community. By Charles B. Cotton, Jr.