The third Sunday of January is always set aside for the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Some of you may have off of work and many of you kids don't have to go to school tomorrow. That, in and of itself, is reason for celebration. Maybe you-ll spend your day at the mall, out on the slopes, hanging out with your friends, catching up on sleep or getting some much needed work done around the house.
     All those things are great! I hope, though, that you will also take just a bit of time to think about Martin Luther King, Jr. A simple internet search on his name will remind you of his courage, what his faith in action accomplished and how you might be part of making his dream come alive in 2008 -- the year that will mark the 40th anniversary of his death.
     King's "I Have a Dream" speech or sermon is maybe his most famous one, but today I want to talk about another theme that he used in many of his speeches and writings. That theme was the "beloved community." He spoke of it at a victory rally following the announcement of a favorable U.S. Supreme Court Decision desegregating the seats on Montgomery's buses.
     "The end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the Beloved Community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends. It is this type of understanding goodwill that will transform the deep gloom of the old age into the exuberant gladness of the new age. It is this love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of men."
     For Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the results of living non-violently is the "beloved community." The beloved community is a place full of the unconditional love of God, a place of justice and equality for all, a place of relationship. It is the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth.
     Martin Luther King, Jr. wasn't the first one to talk about "beloved community." One source I read gave credit to 20th century philosopher-theologian Josiah Royce, who founded the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a group of which Martin Luther King, Jr. was part. My sense, however is that the theme of "beloved community" goes back way before King and Royce to Jesus.
     The Gospel for this day is John's account of the beginning of Jesus gathering together his disciples. They are never specifically called the "beloved community" in the Bible, but it's an easy connection to make. Jesus, the one named "Beloved" by God at his baptism, begins to form relationships. He begins to call other beloved children of God to himself. In our Gospel today, this community begins to form in two ways. Because of what they hear and because of what they see.
     According to John's Gospel, people first gravitated towards Jesus because of the testimony of John the Baptist. As the prophet specifically chosen to be the forerunner of Jesus, his job was to bear witness - to tell the people what God had told him and shown him. God promised John a sign. "He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit," God said.
     And that sign happened. The Spirit of God descended like a dove on Jesus. John's actions were so important here. He didn't keep quiet about the sign. He told the people around him about it in every way he could. As Jesus came towards him, he said, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one coming after me who ranks ahead of me. He is the Son of God."
     The next day, again, Jesus came near and John bore witness again, "Look, here is the Lamb of God." It is this second act of witnessing that finally gets his disciples' attention. They heard what he said and followed Jesus. The beloved community began to form around the Beloved of God because of John's witness -- because of what these men had been told.
     The beloved community solidified because of what they saw and heard themselves. When Jesus saw that he was being followed, he asked the men what they were looking for, but the men answered only indirectly. "Where are you staying?" they asked. And then Jesus said those life changing words, those community forming words, "Come and see."
     So, what did they see? Did they see Jesus interact non-violently with a Jewish leader who was questioning who he was? Did they see Jesus reach out to the poor or sickly? Did they hear Jesus speak about justice and equality among all of God's children? Did they feel Jesus' unconditional love radiating out towards them?
     We don't know exactly what these men saw. This account in chapter one of John's Gospel doesn't go into detail. We simply know that they remained with Jesus for that day. We simply know that whatever they saw was enough for Andrew to run out to find his brother, Simon, whom Jesus would rename Peter. To find his brother and bear witness that he had found the Messiah.
     Martin Luther King, Jr.'s quest for the 'beloved community' still isn't fully realized. We've come a long way regarding racial inequality in our country. The political primaries testify to that. Yet, we've still got a long way to go.
 Jesus' quest for the "beloved community" is no different. As long as there are people out there, in our community, who do not know the love of Christ, it is not fully realized. As long as discord exists between the people who are part of this community, it is not fully realized. As long as love does not rule in the way we view ourselves or conduct our relationships, it is not fully realized. As people who have received the Good News of Jesus Christ, it is part of our life's work to expand the "beloved community" Jesus began.
     We don't do this alone, but with each other. We don't do this alone, but with God's help. God's "beloved community" deepens as we listen to the prophets of our day whom God has sent to bear witness to God's beloved Son, Jesus. God's "beloved community" widens as we take the steps ourselves to "come and see" what Jesus is up to in the world today. God's "beloved community" expands as we seek out others to bear witness to them that Jesus is the Messiah.
     I'm excited to be part of this work with you and God in this place and in this time. Amen.
 
Kid's sermon
Lamb of God. Is there a picture of the Lamb of God in church? Find it? What is with Jesus?