Drum Major Instinct (Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Martin Luther King, Jr’s “Drum Major Instinct” sermon, given on 4 February 1968, was an adaptation of the 1952 homily ‘‘Drum Major Instincts’’ by J. Wallace Hamilton, a well-known, liberal, white Methodist preacher. King encouraged his congregation to seek greatness, but to do so through service and love. King concluded the sermon by imagining his own funeral, downplaying his famous achievements and emphasizing his heart to do right. King preached this sermon two months before he was killed.