Given by Rev. Madison Shockley April 4, 2021
Today is Easter. Our reading talks about the witnesses running away in fear after seeing the empty tomb. It is also the 53rd anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. People visit the sites of both of these events hoping to learn more. These sites hope to inspire visitors to finish the work of Jesus/MLK. Mark hopes to pass the urgency of the mission to the readers. The Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel hope to do the same. Both Martin Luther King and Jesus fought for human dignity for all. Today, we have a choice. Do we freeze in fear like the witnesses in Mark or do we become the witnesses the world needs? The Romans failed to intimidate the followers of Jesus. The shooter of MLK failed to stop the Civil Rights Movement. Everyone was afraid yet they continued the work. Killing the messenger does not kill the message or the movement.
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