9 Questions to Reflect on Dr. King's Legacy
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stands as one of the most influential people in history, a pastor and a peacemaker advocating for the civil rights movement and racial justice. The Nobel Prize Biography captures a panoramic view of Dr. King’s life, writing, “in the eleven-year period between 1957 and 1968, King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest, and action; and meanwhile he wrote five books as well as numerous articles."
As the world takes a day to remember and honor Dr. King's legacy, we look at a life led by active and tangible love that continues to inspire generations of people towards greater change and justice. Here are helpful reflection questions to step into your relationships with courageous curiosity and compassionate action. Whether you're continuing the conversation or stepping into a new one for the first time, gather your friends, move through these questions slowly with an open mind, and always with the Holy Spirit.
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"
What about your experience affirms or contradicts this as an urgent question?
Recall the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). What was Jesus teaching people about 'doing for the other,' especially those different from you?
What does Dr. King's advocacy in racial reconciliation teach about God's call to love your neighbor?
"True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."
What Bible passages or stories have shaped your view of justice?
How do you experience the tension of peace and justice?
Jesus calls us to be makers of peace (Matthew 5:3-10). How can we support one another in actively making peace with the people around us?
"We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love."
Recall the story of the two debtors (Luke 7:40-50). What might God be inviting you to discover, do, or share in light of Dr. King's call to forgiveness?
Tell a story about the last time forgiveness changed your relationships with God and others.
Are you willing to forgive someone even if it means you couldn't change that person's heart?
The hope is that as you and your people grow in the direction of curiosity, you will be inspired, challenged, and empowered by Dr. King's leadership to lead, learn, and lean in with love, growing better relationships with God and with others.