I was 8 years old in 1967, living in Decatur, Georgia. That Christmas, my biggest concern was whether or not Santa would bring me the Man from U.N.C.L.E. briefcase I so desperately wanted. He did, though I have no idea what happened to it since then. In another part of metropolitan Atlanta, larger concerns loomed.

December 24, 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., climbed into the pulpit of Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, for what few people imagined would be his final Christmas Eve sermon. In a courageously prophetic voice, he named the “giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism” as interconnected forces that stood between the world as it was and the world as God intended.

In many ways we have journeyed far since then, but all three of them are still standing. I’m not sure the direction we’ve moved has brought us any closer to divine intentions—more likely farther away. With regard to racism, many laws have changed, as well as quite a few hearts, though we’ve miles to go before we can sleep in the shalom of God’s true peace.

Our appetite for possessions and our penchant for war seem to have escalated. I’ve outgrown the childish desire for a secret agent briefcase, and even consider larger concerns most days. I often recognize racism when it tries to convince me to act selfishly and fearfully.

Materialism is a more elusive and seductive threat. I know I’m not made more secure by the things I own—often even less secure, as I am consumed by the need to protect them—a protection that tries to convince me that other people who might want to take my things are somehow less than human and have little in common with me. Isn’t that how war begins?

Dr. King was right.

© 2011 Todd Jenkins