Today is the day when we remember and commemorate one of the greatest Americans, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I find it unfortunate that it took so long for the country to get around to honoring this man. When I was in seminary 30 years ago, my boss at a youth center in San Francisco used to close the center for the day in order to make the point that it should be a holiday even before it was made one. Even now many places (maybe even most places) do not honor this day as they do so many other holidays; a day when we are given the opportunity think on, and to live out, the meaning of Dr. King's thoughts, words, and deeds. Unlike most other holidays, this is not a day of rest and recreataion, but a day when we are called - by example - to change the way we live our lives, both individually and collectively. A day when we are shown - if we will but choose to see - what it really would be like to live as The Beloved Community.
To me, this day comes around every year like Brigadoon, a Scottish legend about a magical town that appears out of the mist for one day every hundred years. Like the village in that story,this day when we honor Dr. King gives us a glimpse of what we could be; a glimpse of what we CAN BE. Having seen the vision and glimpsed the prize, it is then up to us to decide if we will seize the reigns of opportunity and seek to build a truly fair, just, right, and compassionate neighborhood, nation, and world.
It's not an easy thing to imagine, and it's even harder to create. If the world were otherwise, Dr. King (and so many others) would still be alive and this day would be just another Monday. And THAT is the point. Today is NOT just another Monday. It's a day to look up from our pettiness, our racism, our cowardice and our greed and ask ourselves, our neighbors, our God, and the Universe "what then must we do?" If we take the time to ask the question, listen for the proclamation, and then wait to truly hear the answer, we will KNOW what to do and then we will be compelled to do it.
The change has already begun, and while so many things seem to cry out against us, the fact is the day is coming when the New World is revealed.
We WILL get there... The time WILL come.
In the meantime... Keep Your Eyes On The Prize... Hold On!
