brian shivers

In January of 1955, in a speech titled “A Realistic Approach to Progress in Race Relations” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. boldly declared to an audience that was largely made up of clergy, “You must do more than pray and read the Bible” in order to destroy racism and segregation, “you must do something about it."   He went on to say, "How often are our lives characterized by a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds!  We talk eloquently about our commitment to the principles of Christianity, and yet our lives are saturated with the practices of paganism…This strange dichotomy, this agonizing gulf between the  ought  and the  is , represents the tragic theme of man’s earthly pilgrimage" ("Love in Acfion,"  Strength to Love  40). Dr. King repeatedly called the church, it's leaders, and those within it to find the courage to walk in the footsteps of the one whom we claim to follow, Jesus.  King admonished us all that we must follow Jesus

Epiphany brings with it new discoveries of that which we thought we once knew.  This Epiphany Sunday, I find myself gazing back at the season that has just passed.  Each Sunday during the four weeks of Advent a candle was lit as churches gathered to worship and waited for the arrival of the Christ. On the first Sunday we lit the first candle on the Advent wreath, the candle of hope. And we waited.  A full week later, we gathered once again and lit the second candle on the Advent wreath, the candle of peace. And we waited.  On the third Sunday of Advent another candle was lit on the wreath, the candle of joy. And we waited.  Yet another candle was lit on the fourth Sunday of Advent, the candle of love. And we waited.  The final candle was lit on Christmas Eve, the Christ Candle. The wait was finally over.   Or was it. I missed something along the way. For... hope void of action is only wishful thinking;  longing for peace without being an agent of change is an exercise in futility and a