"A People of the
Dream" 1/16/2011
Tonight we celebrate the life Martin Luther King, Jr.. [See the "I
have a dream" speech below.]
For me
this is especially important, for all of my life I have tried to live a life of
justice and peace. Whether that is marching for the rights of GLBT
people or helping to feed the poor. It could be working on a
community advisory Board for the Pitt Men's Study to helping with the
health needs of gay men. Justice comes in many forms. It could be
speaking the truth about what the Bible really says about
homosexuality or it could be trying to live a life of non-violence and
peace. Justice has been for me one of the hallmarks of my life as a
Pastor and it is my hope that I have passed that on to all of you.
MCC Pittsburgh should continue to be a beacon in the community of
a place where justice is at the forefront of all. For in the words of
Martin Luther King "until we are all free no one is free". There was a
day when we were the only church in the city actively standing up for
the rights of glbt people. There was a time when we were the only
church who would unite two people of the same gender in Holy
Union. There was a time when we stood up sometimes alone to say
God loves all people and that includes glbt people. Don't forget those
days for we were the people of justice for our people. I can remember when we
marched down 5th Avenue leading the gay pride parade and there
were maybe 50 people in attendance. And then how about when
Anita Bryant, came to the Civic Arena to meet with a packed house to
say gay people were going to hell. And there stood our little crowd
with the mighty word handing out pamphlets that said "What did Jesus
say about homosexuality" and you opened the pamphlet and it was
blank. And then there were the years
of the 80's when the
horrific disease AIDS hit the gay community. Again our congregation
was at the forefront of the community and what was to become the
Pittsburgh Aids Task Force, the Pittsburgh Interfaith Network on Aids,
the Shepherd Wellness Community, and most importantly we were
the ones sitting at bedsides, and burying boys far to young to die
because no one else would. That's what it means to be a people of
justice. And though we were small in number we were mighty in
God's love and power to stand against those who would deny our
people of their rightful place in God's beloved community.
When Martin Luke King, Jr. ask how he would like to be
remembered this is what he said: "I'd like somebody to mention that
day, that Martin Luther King, Jr. tried to give his life serving others. I'd
like for somebody to say that day, that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to
love somebody. I want you to be able to say that day, that I did try to
feed the hungry. And I want you to be able to say that day, that I did
try, in my life, to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say, on
that day; that I did try, in my life to visit those who were prison. I
want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity."
He went on to say: "Yes. if You want to say that I was a drum major,
say that I was drum major for justice; say that I was a drum major for
righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. I
won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and
luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a
committed life behind."
He wanted to be remembered for his
commitment to serving
others... a commitment that did not waver in the face of opposition; a
commitment that did not stop because he was put in jail, again and
again; a commitment that did not step back because he had a wife
and children to take car of; a commitment that did not shrink in the
face of insurmountable odds; a commitment that he kept even when
he knew it would probably end in death. The dream had to live
because it was in his soul, because it burned in his heart each time
he saw the eyes of his people, each time some one faced injustice,
each time an act of violence happened. He could not, would not, stop
believing that there was a better way... a way of peace and justice, a
way that served those around him, a way that would make a
difference for the future.
In my words, by my actions, I try to live each day committed to
serving others. I know I'm not Martin Luther King, Jr., but I can, each
day, do something that helps another person and thus changes our
world. Each of us has the opportunity to live a life committed to
serving one another. Each of us can ask God to place people in our
lives who need us. Each of us can pray for peace as we act in
nonviolent ways. Each of us can love ourselves as we respect and
treat one another with dignity. Each of us can welcome the stranger
who comes to visit knowing that they need to experience God's love.
We begin a moment at a time, then a day at a time, then a week and
before we know it we are living a life that will be remembered. We
won't be remembered for all the material things we left behind. We
won't be remembered for all the degrees and awards or where
went to school. People will say that
day I he was a person who visited
those in prison. People will say that day, she Was a person who fed
the hungry. People will say that day they were a community who tried
to love and serve humanity and left a committed life behind.
Commitment begins when we take the
first step, and do it over and
over again, whether we want to or not, whether it's raining or
sunshine, whether it costs too much or not, whether we feel like it or
not, whether we have something more important to do or not. God's
call on our hearts beckons us to be people who love and serve one
another. May MCC Pittsburgh be remembered always for being a
people of justice. We are keepers of the dream.
_______________________________________________
Martin Luther
King, Jr.
"I Have a
Dream"
delivered 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington
D.C.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you
today, my friends.
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 self-evident, 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 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!
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the
South with.
With this faith, we will be able
to hew out of the mountain of
despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to
transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful
symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to
work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go
to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing
that we will be free one day.
