Living the Dream

On this day where we celebrate the words and principles of Dr. Martin Luther King's speech in Washington, I want to reflect on a passage of Scripture that was used in the speech.   He used Isaiah chapter 40, verses 4 and 5 - I want to read beginning in verse 3:
3The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.4Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth;5The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
Dr. King's dream involved a society that exhibit a God-honoring view of other people - no matter what the racial or cultural background might be.   And, I believe that all of us would embrace that dream.  But that concept is rooted in a deep morality that is based on the Scriptures.   So, we can ask ourselves as we pursue our own individual dreams - do our endeavors and our attitudes glorify God?   Do our thoughts about and actions toward other people show that we value them and view them as Christ would see them?   A harmonious society reflects a deep-seated respect for other people and a deep sense of values that are consistent with God's truth.

It was 50 years ago today - civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., an iconic figure who was the predominant faith of the movement for racial equality and harmony, stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered the words that continue to inspire today.   He used several direct or indirect references in the speech including Amos 5:24:
24But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

This is part of an overall passage about that topic of justice that includes the words from earlier in the chapter:
14Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.15Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

Dr. King's speechwriter has said that the words to the "I Have a Dream" speech were ad libbed to a certain extent and perhaps not intended to be included in speech originally.   But, listen to the words, that were rooted in the Scriptural view of how humanity is regarded by God and how He intends for us to relate to one another:

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 self-evident: that all men are created equal."

These are words taken from the Declaration of Independence and refer to a creator God, who has formed each of us with innate value and enormous potential.

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.

He makes reference to past history, but recognizes that it could be a possibility that we could put that aside and walk in a new sense of unity with one another, no matter what our race or background would be.

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.

Powerful words indeed - describing injustice and oppression as miserable components, that could be replaced with the "oasis" of freedom and justice - which are, again, Biblically-related qualities.

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.

What an amazing statement and really a creed that can challenge each of us as believers as we examine how we regard and treat one another - that our diversity becomes not a wedge, but a component to be celebrate - recognizing that God is a God of unity and not division.

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.

Another powerful picture, and one that should have its manifestation in the body of Christ, as a shining example to the world around us.   In a culture that has been bitterly divided, we can walk in the balm of God's love.

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.

Not unexpected that a Christian minister would use Scripture.   After all, the civil rights movement and the church are inextricably linked.  Dr. King uses this passage in the last of his 6 "I have a dream" statements - it's taken from Isaiah 40, part of a Messianic prophecy that shows what life will be like under the governance of our Savior.   Racial harmony reveals the glory of God.

Already, I have seen statements to the effect of, "I have a dream that__________" and "What's your dream?"   We have to ask ourselves what a culture that is based on the principles of Scripture would look like.  Certainly we would want the presence of Christ to be revealed and His principles to be exercised.   

We miss it in so many ways, not just in the racial sense, but also regarding the way we treat one another generally - because we have not embraced the concept of the sanctity of life, we do not value other people in the way we should.   Crime grows because of the depravity of the human heart and murder festers in an atmosphere where the life of another is not regarded as sacred and of inestimable worth.   People steal because they do not value what belongs to another.   And, we wallow in pornography and cesspools of sex and violence in our entertainment choices because we do not value what is good and right.  But, in the midst of a culture that does not reflect the glory of God, we can release the goodness of God and the love of Christ by the way we live our lives, the way we love our families, the way we regard others as better than ourselves, humbling ourselves before the Lord and serving others.    The fulfillment for a dream of a society operating in the ways of God is to start with what we know and have been given, one step at a time, and change the world by changing our corner of it.