Pastor discusses current climate, King’s service in annual program
Rev. Rayfield Walker, pastor of Beth Salem Church, encouraged parallels and lessons between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and today's national climate during the annual King Day service in Forrest City.
The Forrest City Education Association partnered with the St. Francis County Branch NAACP and the Theta Tau Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., to celebrate the day online with prayer, music and reflections on King's teachings.
Walker told guests attending today’s program virtually that they could draw many lessons from King's revolutionary life on how to act, react and move forward with the nation's current climate.
Walker said that King's last sermon was from Revelations and he encouraged his congregation to ' keep awake' during the revolutionary and changing times King lived through.
"We are living in the midst of such a revolution," said Walker.
Walker pointed to national events that he said will have future impacts on the nation as a whole, including the election of Georgia's first African-American Senator, how Covid has affected how the nation and communities operate, as well as the changing of presidential power and the conflicts it has caused.
"We need to be awake and we need to be active in this great time of change," said Walker. "It behooves us to make sure we are not sleeping through this revolution. It behooves us to learn from that, to be ready to be active and to be awake during this time."
Walker said there are many challenges facing the nation, but encouraged people to also keep in mind that everyone is part of a global community.
"We live in a global city, to the extent we can purchase in our house goods from across the world," said Walker.
He said one of King's goals was to connect people and communities on a global level for the greater good, saying King said, "In a real sense all life is interrelated. All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be…"
"Because of technology we are able to do business and communicate with people across the world," said Walker. "So we need to recognize that we are all in this together."
Walker also spoke about the importance of continuing to fight poverty in the nation and how reaching out to those affected by poverty, Covid and more would be of benefit to the community.
"We can't reach back, but we can always reach forward," said Walker.
Walker also said that frontline workers in the Covid situation need recognition for all the work they've done to keep communities safe.
"We need to salute the heroes on the battlefield we face today," Walker said heroes in Covid include but are not limited to educators, first responders, medical staff and even workers in retail checking out goods in lines
Walker said he was often asked when things would go back to normal and said he does not believe they would or should.
"If normal means that 40% of American households have less than $400 in their bank, we ought not go back to normal," said Walker. He added that other ' normals' in American Society could also fade for the betterment of communities such as choosing to miss a day of work or going to the doctor's office, the expenses of student loans for higher education, divisive leaders, voter suppression and more. "We should not go back to normal."
"I am glad He said, Behold, I make all things new," said Walker of the verse from Revelations. "Our God is a revolutionary God. Our God is a God that changes things. Our God that turns things around, One that makes all things new."
"Let us be awake, because God is working," said Walker. "And let us be active in this new revolution."