Worship 1-18-26

Pride in the Name of Love | John 1:29–42 | MLK Weekend Sermon

What does it mean to choose love when fear, anger, and retaliation all feel justified?

In this sermon preached on MLK Weekend, we reflect on a powerful moment from the life of Martin Luther King Jr., when his home was bombed and an angry crowd gathered—ready to respond with violence. Instead, King pointed beyond himself to Jesus and to a mission rooted in love.

That posture echoes the witness of John the Baptist in John 1:29–42. Standing before a crowd of his own followers, John refuses to make himself the center. He points away from his own authority and toward Jesus, saying, “Look. Here is the Lamb of God.”

This sermon explores a surprising question:

Is pride always a sin?

Or can the gospel redeem pride into something else—confidence not in ourselves, but in the love we belong to?

Along the way, we consider what it means to stop striving, stop escalating, and simply bear witness to a love that has been flowing long before us and will continue long after us.

📖 Scripture: John 1:29–42

🎵 Theme: Pride in the Name of Love

📅 Occasion: MLK Weekend

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