LGBT people can honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through truth telling and action, according to Rev. Juan Y. Reed during a special church service honoring King.
St. Peter's Episcopal Church commemorated the life and ministry of King on Jan. 14. The special service honored King's contribution to the civil-rights movement by featuring congregational singing and guest preacher Reed of Chicago's St. Martin's Episcopal Church.
'King, like us, was on a pilgrimage that involved risk and movement and action, not just thought,' Reed told the congregation. Reed is a Black gay minister. He was inducted into the Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame Nov. 1, 2005.
Reed described being a Black gay minister as the 'greatest gift' for him. For Reed, it became his mission.
'Whoever you are, stand where you are and you will discover your mission,' Reed encouraged the congregation, adding that the more they love and speak, the more free they will become.
Moving beyond thought is the key to bringing justice, Reed said. 'The way we honor King is by doing in our day when he did in his day,' he continued.
However, Reed added that people need to understand that they are unlikely to see the fruit of their effort in their lifetimes. 'It will come to some other generation,' he said. 'We need to ask: Whose life will be better because of me? This is the broader vision we need. Whose life is better because of our truth telling?'