Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Hoping to see many of you at your local MLK march and/or event – whether you are from the city or the suburbs; Asians, African-Americans, Anglos, Hispanics…it really doesn’t matter. Honoring his legacy is a decision to honor a dream bigger than one man, a dream bigger than one race. It’s a decision to recommit ourselves to the shalom that God intended for His creation. It’s God’s dream which is why it didn’t die when MLK was assassinated. And while it’s a dream that will never be completely fulfilled with our own doing but nevertheless, one that we must pursue “on earth as it is in heaven.” So, put your jackets, gloves, hats, and scarves and join others at Seattle’s 26th Annual MLK March & Rally - one of the biggest in the nation.
If you’re interested, a growing group of us from Quest will be meeting at Franklin High School at 10:45AM for the rally, followed by the march which begins at 12PM. There are numerous events going on locally here in Seattle and our children may go to the functions at the Seattle Center.
Dr. King was not a perfect man. Far from it but he was a great man as he pursued to live out his definition of greatness: a servant of others. While many are familiar with his more well known speeches such as “I Have a Dream,” the one that I’m particularly drawn to this year is his last “speech” – delivered the day before his assassination.
“I just want to do God’s will…as a people, we will get to the promised land…I’m not fearing any man as mine eyes have seen the coming of the Lord.”
On MLK’s birthday today, may we acknowledge and celebrate this amazing dreamer but also acknowledge the giver of such dreams…and dare to dream as well.
Filed under: religion, jr., martin luther king, mlk
I just ran across this quote recently but it’s the kind of writing that makes half of me want to give up as a writer (thinking I’ll never be good enough) and the other half want to devote myself that much more diligently to the craft (because words can change the world).
“When our days become dreary with low hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe, working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.” – Martin Luther King
That last sentence is poetry of the highest order.
nice randall… that is poetry of the highest order.
Thank you for sharing this!
“Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.”
Beautiful words, indeed.
I’ve been twittering some of my favorite MLK quotes today. I don’t remember this one Randall, but it’s majestic.
I discovered MLK in college, and have read him for a couple of decades now. I also visited Selma, Alabama once, and had a formative experience there when a truck full of rednecks yelled and threw bottles at me just for reading a sign about the Voting Rights March at the Selma bridge (the march ended in Montgomery). As a white boy who grew up in Montana, this was the first time I’d experienced anything like that. I’m glad it happened.
Well, Eugene, not to kiss your butt but I really liked this quote today from your entry:
“may we acknowledge and celebrate this amazing dreamer but also acknowledge the giver of such dreams…and dare to dream as well.”