Thursday, March 19, 2020
Here is a second excerpt from Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”:
I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

― Martin Luther King, Jr. 
“Letter from Birmingham Jail"
What is your emotional response to this excerpt? 

King writes, "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action." Are there ways/places you have seen, heard, or experienced this sentiment?

How is God inviting you to respond? 

Prayer
Merciful God, we pray for our congregation to make progress toward becoming an anti-racist church—a church that is actively participating in the healing of racism. Give us an open spirit to receive whatever you show us in this season, that we might become an even greater part of your work. Amen.
Share your reflections on our Facebook Group .
We provide these daily Interruptions to you for each day of Lent, as we journey together in the Spiritual Work of Resisting Racism. Believing that God is active through a variety of voices and media, we trust the Holy Spirit to aid our reflection and transformation. If you’d like to share these reflections and experiences with others, please do so on our private Facebook group . If you’d like to reflect further with a pastor, please email us at [email protected] or [email protected] .
First United Methodist Church
1201 Lavaca St.
Austin, TX 78731