Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish. (Psalm 146:3-4 NRSV)
Today, January 20, 2025, is MLK Day, a United States national holiday first observed in 1986, honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King, an ordained Baptist pastor (1948), is of course known for his role leading the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. History has shown that he was an imperfect person who was investigated by the FBI for extramarital affairs. Nonetheless, his imprint on history is significant and lasting, as he used his considerable gifts in oratory, mobilization and peaceful, nonviolent protest to get the attention of a nation and turn the tide in America’s prejudicial treatment of people of color. Sadly, this prophet of change did not get to see the full fruits of his labors come about as he was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
Today, January 20, 2025, is also Inauguration Day in these United States, as the 47th President, Donald J. Trump, will return to office for a second term. Trump is just the second president, joining Grover Cleveland, to serve two non-consecutive terms in the White House. This is just the second time the inauguration of the U.S. President has fallen on MLK Day. Ironically, Trump’s inauguration will be held in the Capitol rotunda, just four years after that place was the scene of a riotous uprising by insurrectionists he incited to “stop the steal” – a phrase he used to propagate the falsity of his having won the 2020 election, which he did not.
Read more: On King, the “King of Kings” and those who would be king.
Trump, like King (and the rest of us), is an imperfect person. He too has been investigated by the FBI, though for differing reasons. He is on his third marriage, and in May of 2023 was convicted by a jury in a civil suit for sexual abuse and defamation. In May of 2024 he was also found guilty of 34 felony crimes by a New York jury of his peers in what’s been called a “hush money” case designed to influence his 2016 election. He is the first convicted felon to have been elected President of the United States. It should be noted that Trump continues to maintain his innocence and appeal these convictions.
I find it ironic that these two men, one named King, and the other who would like to rule as a king, are tied together by a day that is recognized for different reasons. The MLK holiday is designed to be a day of remembrance and service in honor of one who spoke truth to power. He called for a people who had historically been treated unjustly and inhumanely to be recognized as equal and given their unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The inauguration of a U.S. President is a day filled with speeches, prayers, and the vitriol of campaign promises to be kept. When it involves the incoming President replacing an incumbent from an opposing party, it often signals a new direction and political approach to the issues news makers and politicians have succeeded in elevating before the electorate.
Trump, like King, but very different from King, has succeeded in the art of oratory and communication. While the tenor and tone of his messages (social media posts and rally speeches) often take a much darker approach, he has succeeded in using various mediums to connect with people. He has a very loyal base of supporters, many of whom have felt disenfranchised by the progressive American agenda of those who Trump has labeled “the enemy”. Trump has learned how to stoke the fires of such feelings and does it with success. This often aligns him with persons with whom he shares very little in the way of background, socio-economic status or even true faith identity. One of his most notable techniques is to repeat a falsehood so many times and with such conviction that people believe it to be true. He does not speak truth to power, but in power has been known to abuse truth for the propagation of his own agenda.
As the reader may by now have unraveled, I am no fan of Donald J. Trump. I do not look forward to the next four years of bluster and chaos that he will unleash on our nation. I am sorry to see him returned to the Oval Office. I have a different viewpoint from his on many of the foundational issues about which he pontificates. And I cringe at the methods he has used to scare, mock and belittle people into allegiance or silence. I pray for our nation and especially for those who may be in positions of service to thwart some of this man’s worst instincts and efforts. And, I pray that the weight and responsibility of the office might awaken in him some sense of statesmanship and service befitting a President.
As this day, January 20, 2025, approached I kept finding myself thinking about a different kind of king. Jesus is the King of Kings. He is the only anointed one worthy of our worship, complete allegiance and devotion. He is the Prince of Peace, a just ruler who is friend to all. He is a Savior who gave his life for all of humankind. In Him I put my hope, my trust and my future.
I came across Psalm 146 in the weeks leading up to today as I spent some time in prayer and morning devotions. It was as though verses 3 and 4 jumped off the page at me. No human ruler, prince, president or king is capable of delivering humankind or solving our problems. Some govern more justly and equitably than others. Some speak more eloquently and forcefully than others. But none of them – no pastor, no politician, no leader, no one – will succeed in the way or mission that Jesus does. He alone is who we are to keep our eyes on. He alone is who we are to listen to. His words are worthy our contemplation. His directives are our marching orders. His corrections are for our improvement. His example is ours to emulate. He is the King of Kings, the only true King, the righteous One, the Chosen.
So, whether, dear reader, my monologue has offended you or emboldened you, I would ask that you pause to reflect on this day, about the only King who is a position of authority over our lives that truly matters. All other kings and wannabe kings will turn to dust as their plans perish. But to this King, King Jesus, “every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”.
May God be with our new President, our nation, our world, and each person who is made in God’s image.
danielcash 