January 19, 2015
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because G*d has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed…” Luke 4:18

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is often the same Sunday as the day we remember Martin Luther King Jr. Of course, Dr. King was a preacher, a pastor, and a civil rights activist. His was not an easy path. In January 1956 during the Montgomery bus boycott, he received a threatening phone call late in the evening. He couldn’t sleep. He was at a breaking point with exhaustion – he considered giving up. He spoke to G*d and says that he experienced the voice of the divine saying “Stand up for righteousness, stand up for truth. G*d will be at your side forever.”

We have had many prophetic voices in the course of human history, but few are considered capable of changing the path of humanity. In the text I listed above, Jesus was sitting in the temple and opened a scroll of the Hebrew bible. He found this passage from the prophet Isaiah (61:1-2) and read it aloud. The people listening were waiting for his teaching on this passage. Jesus said, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled.” Jesus was announcing that He was the awaited Messiah who was prophesied to free the oppressed, and release those bound by disease. Whether you are a follower of Jesus or not, Jesus did change the course of human history and we believe today that He has come to forgive sins. His teachings, especially regarding love of neighbor and being a servant of all still form the lives of millions of people across this country.

Dr. King preached a similar message. In his “I have a dream” speech he said, “I have a dream that one day every valley will be exhalted, every hill and mountain will be made low, the rough places will be make a plain…and the glory of the Lord will be revealed. I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Where are we today in the march to equality, in the hope for righteousness for all, and in proclaiming our love for all people, no matter the color of their skin, the faith they proclaim, or the contents of their bank account? Take time today to listen to Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech; to read passages regarding Jesus’ love; and then take your petitions to G*d – and listen for G*d’s truth being spoken to you in how you can live into the love of Jesus Christ in service to everyone you encounter.

Pastor Dave