Promised Land - Martin Luther King, Jr Day

​Martin Luther King, Jr Day
 
Today we give pause to celebrate the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, a great minister and humanitarian who took a stand for justice.   Not unlike Moses, Dr. King was willing to face the powers of oppression and injustice and raise a voice for freedom and justice.  Like Moses, he caught a vision of the Promised Land, even though he himself would not live to see its fulfilment.  He had a biblical vision that peace and justice were possible together, but the pathway there might be marked by challenge and adversity.  He had a deep faith in Christ that empowered him.   Psalm 85.10 casts a beautiful vision: 
  Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet,
  righteousness and peace will kiss.  
  As we give pause to honor a great man who worked for a better world, let us look deeply at our own lives and challenge ourselves to follow Christ's command to love our neighbor regardless of race or place, to build bridges of peace and understanding, and to take a stand for justice anywhere and everywhere.   Dr. King once said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” 
  Let us dare to believe that all children are God's children, and dare to act as if all children were our children.
  “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that” --Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches
  Let us be emboldened by that great vision—Dr. TJ