The Drum Major Instinct
Author:
January 10, 2024
A couple of months before he was
shot and killed, Martin Luther King, Jr. preached a sermon titled “The Drum
Major Instinct.” The sermon was based on Mark 10:35–45, in which James and John
ask Jesus for the highest seats of honor in his kingdom. The other disciples
were angry with James and John’s cheeky request, but there is something in all
of us, said King, that wants to be the center of attention. King called this
desire to be out in front of everyone “the drum major instinct.” He blamed
everything from living beyond one’s means to racial prejudice and war between
nations on this selfish impulse.
But King also told his congregation
that Jesus doesn’t condemn ambition per se. Jesus called the disciples
and us to redirect our ambitions toward love, service, justice, and compassion.
“Whoever would be great among you must be your servant… for even the Son of Man
came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”
(Mark 10:44-5).
King concluded by saying that, at
his funeral, he hoped the preacher would preach a short sermon (!) and that the
sermon wouldn’t mention his Nobel Prize or other awards. “Say that I was a drum
major for peace… a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow
things will not matter.”
On this Martin Luther King Day,
Monday, January 15, we invite you to be a drum major for service, peace, and
God’s love. First Presbyterian’s second annual Day of Service is happening from
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Choose from the following activities:
- Prepare bag lunches for our unsheltered neighbors at Joseph’s House,
- Cook meat and veggie chili for Joseph’s House residents,
- Prepare “blessing bags” for distribution to the homeless,
- Create cards for residents of a local nursing home,
- Make utensil packets for Cathedral Kitchen in Camden,
- Clean up the grounds at St. Wilfrid’s in Camden (weather permitting)
And throughout our lives, let us
march to the beat of Christ our Drum Major, who leads us in right paths and
stirs up in us the beautiful music of loving service.
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