Salisbury reflects on MLK’s enduring message

SALISBURY — St. John’s Episcopal Church marked the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend by welcoming Canon Petero Sabune for a special service on Sunday, Jan. 18, followed by a visit to Salisbury School the next day.

King’s legacy and faith were central themes throughout the service. The first reading featured an excerpt from King’s final book, “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” including the oft-quoted passage: "Returning violence for violence multiples violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

In his sermon, Sabune said that many accounts of King’s life and influence often “forget about his faith and convictions.”

“He was a baptized disciple of Jesus Christ,” Sabune said.

After the service, Sabune was asked about ongoing protests and controversy in Minneapolis. He noted that King’s philosophy of nonviolent resistance was shaped by Mahatma Gandhi, who in turn drew inspiration from the writings of Henry David Thoreau.

Sabune said civil rights workers and protestors in the 1950s and 1960s underwent formal training in nonviolence. “They taught people how to get hit and not respond, what [civil rights figure and congressman] John Lewis called ‘good trouble,’” he said.

Reflecting on more recent events, Sabune said that when considering the circumstances that led to the death of Renee Good at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross, “I feel the pain, not just for Renee, but for Officer Ross.”

Music also played a prominent role in the service. The hymns were drawn from “Lift Every Voice and Sing II: An African-American Hymnal.” Among them was “Precious Lord,” which King requested be sung the night before his death.

“Sing ‘Precious Lord’ and sing it pretty,” King told a follower.

Sabune’s visit to Salisbury followed a long journey that began with a bus ride from Tucson, Arizona, to Phoenix on Saturday, Jan. 17, followed by an overnight flight. The Rev. Johan Johnson, priest-in-charge at St. John’s and chaplain at Salisbury School, picked him up at 7 a.m. Sunday.

The two men have known each other for so long they cannot recall exactly where or when they first met. During an interview, Sabune paused to greet Johnson’s youngest daughter, whom he baptized.

As he headed toward the reception, where parishioners were waiting to greet him, Sabune was asked one final question:

“You going to get a nap in today?”

“Yes!” he said emphatically over his shoulder as he hurried up the aisle.