The Rev.

From Episcopal Cafe-

Today, let's take a moment to put "The Rev." back in "The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." In a sermon preached in Chicago in 1967, King said, "before I was a civil rights leader, I was a preacher of the gospel. This was my first calling and it still remains my greatest commitment. You know, actually all that I do in civil rights I do because I consider it a part of my ministry. I have no other ambitions in life but to achieve excellence in the Christian ministry. I don’t plan to run for any political office. I don’t plan to do anything but remain a preacher."

King wanted to remain a preacher—a man ordained by God to a special ministry. Our second reading today describes ordained leaders as people chosen to offer gifts and sacrifices, people who can deal gently with others because they themselves are subject to weakness and need forgiveness, and people who do not take their priesthood to glorify themselves.

This priesthood is something that we all can share through our unique gifts, callings, and contexts. The Baptismal Covenant welcomes each of us into an eternal priesthood, into a ministry of resisting evil, proclaiming good news, seeking Christ in all persons, and striving for justice and peace.

More here-

http://www.episcopalcafe.com/thesoul/daily_reading/the_rev.html