Weekly Reflection – 1/13/25

St. Mary’s Reflection:The Rev. David Erickson
“In the Name of Love,” U2 and MLK
As someone who grew up in the later 80’s and early 90’s, the music of U2 permeates my adolescent memories. I loved their music, listened to it on the cd player in my room and the tape player in my car. I even got to see them in concert several times, including three nights in a row at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL.
It was not until I was older that I discovered the deeply Christian nature in most of their songs. Indeed, you might even call them a “Christian” band, if that term was not laden with syrupy lyrics and monotonous music. Their music tackled difficult subjects, both personal and communal in nature, and yet had a message of hope, of creative possibility, always present in them.
I know that I loved the song “In the Name of Love” long before I understood it was a testament to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and an invitation, challenge even, to live in our lives in reflection of his. In fact, I think it was watching the video below for the first time that I learned of this connection. Here was my favorite band, passionately singing about an individual I had known minimally from my childhood education in a southern state.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was, and is, an inspiration. And that inspiration came with great cost and sacrifice, even the sacrifice of his life. His ministry was profoundly shaped by his belief in the inherent dignity of every human being as created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Something that, as Episcopalians, we commit to when we promise in our Baptismal Covenant to “respect the dignity of every human being” and “seek and serve Christ in all persons.” King’s relentless pursuit of civil rights and his vision of the Beloved Community challenges us to embody these promises, not merely as lofty ideals but as urgent, lived realities. Dr. King’s life calls us to move from the altar to the streets, embodying the grace we receive in the Eucharist into acts of justice and mercy in our lives.
And, I believe, we are called to manifest Dr. King’s message creatively, always seeking new ways to invite and manifest Christ’s grace in the shadows, cracks, and corners of our lives, and to the people who “the kingdom of the world” has forgotten or rejected.
It is helpful to also remember that Dr. King did not do this work alone. Many, many other were a part of his movement of the “universe that, though long, arcs towards justice.” We are not called to do this work alone.
I hope you will take the less than five minutes to watch this video. U2 lives their lives in ways that would make Dr. King proud, and they inspired thousands in stadiums to that life as well. May our lives, in small ways, manifest King’s message and inspire others to it as well.
U2 Pride (In the Name of Love)
The Rev. David Erickson