Martin Luther King of Georgia by R. Lentz

Kindred in Christ,

Soon our country will remember Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a pastor and prophet who refused a faith that stayed comfortable while injustice thrived.

In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, King challenged white moderate religious leaders who chose order over justice and patience over change. He warned against what he called “negative peace,” which he defined as “the absence of tension,” rather than “a positive peace which is the presence of justice.” His challenge still confronts us today: don’t stand at a distance—come and see.

Come and see God rising where hope was buried.
Come and see love practiced through nonviolence.
Come and see justice that disrupts fear and power.

That same invitation is at the heart of the Gospel. In John 1:29–46, Jesus does not demand certainty or offer easy answers. Again and again, he simply says, “Come and see.” It is an invitation to follow, to risk change, and to live toward what Dr. King would later call the Beloved Community.

This Sunday, we remember Dr. King and listen again for Jesus’ call in our own time. Come and see.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul Ortiz