“I have a dream today … I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, 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.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., whose memory we celebrate in today’s holiday, gave a speech that is famous the world over. He had a dream that one day all people in our country would be protected with the same rights and that all people would live in peace with one another. That dream is not that different from the Lord’s dream.
Jesus, at one point, expressed His dream to His Father as He prayed that all of us would be one, as He was one with the Father and the Father was one with Him, that all would be one. Jesus lived that dream by reaching out to everyone who came to Him.
There are many instances in the Gospels where Jesus was criticized for helping “sinners”. Jesus indicated that those who are well do not need doctors, sick people do. He also indicated that the Kingdom was, indeed, for all people.
Like it or not, we are all one family. We all share the same Father. We all claim the same Brother. We are all one in Christ. Therefore, we should allow no division to stand in our way and we should allow no person to feel the threat or pain of hatred, bigotry, or discrimination.
We are a long way from living the dream of Christ but that should not stop us from trying. Rather, we should double our efforts so that we may truly be seen to be His people.
FAITH ACTION: Dare to live the dream of Jesus Christ. Encourage those who need someone to stand by them.