The Dreamers: Martin Luther King Jr.
Micah 6:6-8
January 16, 2011
James Taylor, Shed a Little Light http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p18qu4Te9j4
Just as the song said, “let us turn our thoughts
today to Martin Luther King”. Tomorrow is the
Martin Luther King Junior Holiday. This will be
the 25th year our nation has observed this special
day.
How appropriate that in my sermon series called
“The Dreamers” we are looking at Martin Luther
King Junior this morning. If you were to
randomly ask people on the street what comes to
their minds when they hear the phrase “I have a dream”, I would bet a majority would say
MLK.
Though he gave many sermons and speeches, the “I Have a Dream” speech he gave on
the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963 is the most remembered. If you
watch any television today and tomorrow, there is a good chance you will see parts of
that speech.
Would it be safe to assume that we are all familiar with the speech? We may not know
the whole thing, but the last part we all kind of know, especially the “I have a dream”
section.
In that section he lifts up 6 dreams. Let me remind us what those dreams
were:
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and
tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the
American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out
the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons
of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be
able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state
sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will
be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that 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.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with
its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips
dripping with the words of "interposition" and
"nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little
black boys and black girls will be able to join hands
with little white boys and white girls as sisters and
brothers.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be
exalted, and 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."
Though it does not get much attention, the last dream
comes right from the bible. Quoting the book of Isaiah,
Martin dreams of the end time when all creation will be
transformed into the Kingdom of God.
In order for this dream to happen there will need to be
divine intervention. As for the other dreams, it is all up
to human kind to determine whether it will or will not
happen. Here we are 42 years later. Though great
strides have been made in issues like equality and justice, we still have a ways to go.
Let me read to you an article that was in last Sunday’s paper.
“Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white – separate and
unequal”
The words above were written more than 50 years ago in the wake of riots in Detroit and
other cities, part of the Kerner Commission report prepared at the request of President
Lyndon Johnson.
A new survey commissioned by the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion and
conducted in 2010 by Mitchell Research & Communications measured attitudes about
discrimination – racial, gender and sexual orientation – and provides frightening data that
show Michigan is still deeply divided and may be becoming more so.
Gender and sexual orientation concerns are serious, and need to be addressed. But what
grabbed me as I read through the poll were the racial divisions and how they appear to be
growing compared with polls we commissioned in 2008 and 2009.
The 2010 survey found that African Americans are almost twice as likely as white
respondents to say racial discrimination happens, with 58% of African Americans saying
racial discrimination happens all the time (38%) or happens frequently (21%).
From 2008 to 2009 that number went from 53% to 51% of African Americans that said
discrimination happens frequently or all the time.
A year later it jumped up to 58%
In another indication of growing concerns about discrimination in the African American
Community, the percentage of African Americans saying the quality of life has gotten
better during the last 10 years slipped from 58% in 2008 to 40 % in 2010.
Finally the percentage of those saying we will never achieve racial equality has increased
from 29% in 2008 to 49% in 2010.
(Be Mindful of Race, State Leadership. Tom Costello)
If Martin Luther King Junior was alive today, I don’t think he would be too happy with
the results of that poll. Though it was just for Michigan, I got to believe we are not alone
when it come to racial discrimination.
Every January our Nation has the opportunity to remind itself of the dream and access
whether we are getting closer. If the poll numbers are correct, then maybe we are not.
It’s a shame we have to keep working at it, but we must if we are going to have a great
nation.
Race relations is an important issue. Equality for all is a battle worth fighting for. When
you get to the core of the issue you will see that it is about justice. If someone is denied
something because of his or her race, gender or sexual orientation, then that is wrong. If
all men are created equal, then all men should have equal access and opportunity.
Though Martin is known for his role in the civil rights movement, he was also involved
in other social causes. He was a strong opponent of the Vietnam War. He also was
involved in the fight for economic justice for all people.
I have read where some people think Martin got in more hot water when he became
involved with Unions and the rights of poor people, then when he was fighting for
integration of schools, busses and lunch counters. Mess with powerful people and their
bottom line and you are asking for trouble.
As a pastor Martin was very familiar with the Prophet Micah and his words in the 6th
chapter. What shall I come before the Lord? What does the Lord Require? This is what
is says in the Contemporary Version of the Bible.
“The Lord has told us what is right and what he demands;
‘See that justice is done. Let mercy be your first concern,
and humbly obey your God.’” (Micah 6:8)
See that justice is done. It doesn’t say hope for justice, or pray for justice, or look to
others to work for justice, it says see that justice is done. Martin took the bulls by the
horn and got to work. In the end it cost him his life. If you read his letters you get a
sense he had no other choice. Working for justice is what a follower of Christ does.
In our lifetime we are exposed to numerous acts of injustice. Some are small, like
someone being excluded from a club. Others are enormous, like the genocide in Rwanda
or Darfur. When we hear of or witness the injustice, do we act? More often than not we
don’t. That’s the truth. We either feel insignificant, or outnumbered, overwhelmed or
even afraid.
The challenge is to do something. It may be writing a letter to the President, calling your
Representative, attending a rally, donating to a cause. There
are many ways we can see that justice is done. Will that
change things? Will our effort make a difference in how
people are being treated? Maybe, maybe not! The point is
we did something.
As I read the prophet Micah, our worship is not that
meaningful to God if we are not also working for mercy and
justice. So what cause fires you up? We can’t get involved
in everything. The evil in this world is too great.
Is it education? Does it make you angry to hear of so many
students in Detroit and other urban communities getting a
poor education?
Is it the impoverished
nations like Haiti? Do you
think the US and other
nations could do a better
job in helping those in dire
need?
Did you know that slavery
still exists? A presentation
is happening tonight at
Birmingham First UMC about Human Trafficking and Present Day Slavery. Students at
Adrian College are doing all they can to raise awareness of this and stop the injustice.
How about health care? Is this a justice
issue?
Should all Americans have
access to health care? This debate will
once again come up as House
Republicans plan to bring to vote a
repeal of the Health Care Deal.
These are just a few. The point is to find
an injustice and get involved. We won’t
lead a movement like MLK, but we can
still be a part of one.
In closing I would have us listen to
another dreamer. Like MLK he too was shot down in the prime of his life. Imagine!
(John Lennon’s song Imagine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxLnIRVVwIM )
“You may say that I’m a dreamer, well I’m not the only one.
I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one.”
Let us keep dreaming and working for justice.
~~~~~~~~
Song Lyrics
James Taylor, Shed a Little Light
Let us turn our thoughts today
To Martin Luther King
And recognize that there are ties between us
All men and women
Living on the earth
Ties of hope and love
Sister and brotherhood
That we are bound together
In our desire to see the world become
A place in which our children
Can grow free and strong
We are bound together
By the task that stands before us
And the road that lies ahead
We are bound and we are bound
There is a feeling like the clenching of a fist
There is a hunger in the center of the chest
There is a passage through the darkness and the mist
And though the body sleeps the heart will never rest
(chorus)
Shed a little light, oh lord
So that we can see
Just a little light, oh lord
Wanna stand it on up
Stand it on up, oh lord
Wanna walk it on down
Shed a little light, oh lord
Can't get no light from the dollar bill
Don't give me no light from a tv screen
When I open my eyes
I wanna drink my fill
From the well on the hill
(do you know what I mean? )
- chorus There is a feeling like the clenching of a fist
There is a hunger in the center of the chest
There is a passage through the darkness and the mist
And though the body sleeps the heart will never rest
Oh, let us turn our thoughts today
To Martin Luther King
And recognize that there are ties between us
All men and women
Living on the earth
Ties of hope and love
Sister and brotherhood
[ From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/shed-a-little-light-lyrics-james-taylor.html ]
John Lennon, Imagine
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one