Dear Rose Park,
This past Saturday and Sunday were very important days for multiple reasons. The first reason we know; the second we might know but we might not have remembered. The first happened some two-thousand years ago; the second happened fifty-three years ago. The first is known for a resurrection; the second is known for an assassination.
We are all aware of Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, but we might not have remembered that April 3 & 4 mark the dates of the last speech ever given by Martin Luther King Jr. and his assassination the very next day in Memphis, TN. This year marks fifty-three years since, “a shot rings out in the Memphis sky” as Bono, the lead singer of U2, wrote. Rev. King devoted his life to the words of the Lord’s Prayer: Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. The Kingdom of God will certainly be a place where all God’s children are valued as equals regardless of their race, class, gender, ethnicity or education. As a nation, we’ve come a long way with racial reconciliation, but there’s still so much more road to travel.
Unfortunately, terms like ‘racial reconciliation’ and ‘social justice’ are being seen as controversial. In all likelihood, we deem them controversial simply because they make us uncomfortable, as if that’s a bad thing. Let us not forget that Jesus stood against any form of segregation or systemic inequality, regardless of our feelings. He crosses a barrier with the woman at the well, He advocates for the poor and disenfranchised, He turns over tables, and He tells us to, “throw the first stone.” Jesus casts a wide vision and net when it comes to the Family and Kingdom of God.
Martin Luther King Jr. caught hold of this vision and embraced it with everything he did and said. In his last speech on April 3, 1968 King says these words: “Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
These words are simultaneously haunting and hopeful. They draw our eyes to the mountaintop and our hearts to the Kingdom of God. As we continue to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, may each of us be willing to orient our lives around the will of God so our eyes too might see the glory of the coming of the Lord.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark