Tuesday, January 20, 2009

An Ongoing Dream

Today was the historic day that Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed aloud of at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. In an interview, King was asked how long he thought it would take for America to see an African-American president. He answered, "About 25 years." Well, it took longer. But certainly today brought people from all ethnicities, backgrounds, and political convictions into a united spirit of joy for the ongoing promise of our democracy.

The pairing of the MLK holiday and the inauguration were poignant and powerful. USA Today gave a report this last Monday from the four churches King preached at prior to his death in on April 4, 1968. Included in this report were also excerpts from his last sermons including "The Drum Major Instinct" given at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on February 4, 1968 where he speaks presciently of his own funeral:

"If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don't want a long funeral....And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long...Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Prize--that isn't important...I'd like somebody to mention that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to give his life serving others. I'd like for somebody to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. And I want you to be able to say...that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.

Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. And that's all I want to say."

The life of Dr. King coupled today with the inauguration of President Obama takes place in the context of trying times for our nation. Herein is a renewed opportunity for all disciples of Jesus to live out the love, justice, and compassionate example of our Lord. Now is the moment to reconsecreate ourselves to exemplify the ideals which both our democracy and our faith espouse.

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