I felt compelled to watch Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech today. It is a significant occasion to remember his words. We have codified equality into our laws and have even gone beyond equality (in the case of affirmative action laws) to ensure that opportunities are available to all.
As a Christian, I share Dr. King's worldview that the vision of equality is a God-given vision. The culminating moment of his speech was a testimony to his reliance on his faith as the inspiration for the journey, whatever it might entail. The final point of his "I have a dream" cadence was a distinctly Biblical.
"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this fait...h, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together knowing that we will be free one day."
As a pastor, preacher, teacher, and follower of this faith, I pray I will not forget the sacrifices of those across the ages who have striven for the gospel in the face of great persecution. I know my life is way too easy. I sit and spew opinions in a world where opinions are a dime a dozen and nobody really cares much about what I think anyway. But for those who risked it all and put their personal safety and livelihood on the line for the truth of the gospel and the proclamation a prophetic word, I offer my humble thanks. Dr. King, despite his personal flaws, was a brave soul for the kingdom of God and we should be grateful for the work he did for the cause of justice in our country.
We should keep Dr. King's vision before us, not because it was his, but it is God's.
As a Christian, I share Dr. King's worldview that the vision of equality is a God-given vision. The culminating moment of his speech was a testimony to his reliance on his faith as the inspiration for the journey, whatever it might entail. The final point of his "I have a dream" cadence was a distinctly Biblical.
"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this fait...h, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together knowing that we will be free one day."
As a pastor, preacher, teacher, and follower of this faith, I pray I will not forget the sacrifices of those across the ages who have striven for the gospel in the face of great persecution. I know my life is way too easy. I sit and spew opinions in a world where opinions are a dime a dozen and nobody really cares much about what I think anyway. But for those who risked it all and put their personal safety and livelihood on the line for the truth of the gospel and the proclamation a prophetic word, I offer my humble thanks. Dr. King, despite his personal flaws, was a brave soul for the kingdom of God and we should be grateful for the work he did for the cause of justice in our country.
We should keep Dr. King's vision before us, not because it was his, but it is God's.
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