Last Thursday was the funeral of John Lewis at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA. It was an inspiring time of song, prayer, and numerous moving eulogies including past Presidents and the Rev. James Lawson who was the preeminent teacher of non-violence during the Civil Rights Movement. If you did not have a chance to see the service, you can watch it on YouTube by clicking here.
Yet for all the heartfelt words shared that day, the most meaningful to me did not come during the funeral service. Rather they came earlier in the day when the New York Times published a final opinion piece by John Lewis written just days before his death. The piece is titled “Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation.” You can read the entire piece by clicking here. I want to quote the following two paragraphs here, because they summarized for me the connection between the need to learn from our history and what it means to follow God’s call to peace and justice in our time:
You must also study and learn the lessons of history because humanity has been involved in this soul-wrenching, existential struggle for a very long time. People on every continent have stood in your shoes, through decades and centuries before you. The truth does not change, and that is why the answers worked out long ago can help you find solutions to the challenges of our time. Continue to build union between movements stretching across the globe because we must put away our willingness to profit from the exploitation of others.
Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.
The way of peace, love, and nonviolence embodied by John Lewis is both the legacy of his life and the ongoing calling for our lives as followers of Jesus. The critical question for this challenging and opportune time is not “Who will be the next John Lewis?” Rather it is, “Will you and I take our turn and commit ourselves to the way of peace. love, and nonviolence?” There is no other way to build the Beloved Community and to redeem the soul of our nation.