Easter & Ralph Abernathy

Yesterday my Palm Sunday sermon “What a Week: From Joy to Anguish to Victory” was better received than any I’ve preached at Bond Hill PC, mainly due to my use of something written by Ralph Abernathy in 1968 at this time of the church year. While reading a wonderful book FREEDOM DAYS I came across a short excerpt from Dr. Abernathy’s Easter Sermon for 1968 “My Last Letter to Martin” in which he writes to his friend now in Heaven. Here is the opening paragraph:

“Martin, I miss you and it has been just a few days. I thought I would write you a short letter. It is probably more for my good than it is for yours. I hope it will not be too long before you read it. In Heaven I know that you have so much to do, so many people to see…It wouldn’t surprise me, Martin, if God didn’t have a special affair just to introduce his special activist black son to so many others like you that have gone on ahead…”

His “letter,” a moving testimonial to their friendship, includes an overview of CR history and a roll call of its martyrs. I commend it to you for good reading during this Holy Week.

The whole letter (I used a little under a half) was reprinted in the July 1968 issue of EBONY, which you can access by clicking the link above. There are lots of other intriguing items in the issue as well.

Ed McNulty

April 14, 2014, 9:55 AM

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2 Replies to “Easter & Ralph Abernathy”

  1. Hi Ed,
    I enjoyed your followup story and will share it with my husband, also a Presbyterian Minister and fan of the Shawshank Redemption!

    Birda Ferguson

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