Now when he saw the
crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,
and he began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be
comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are
those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Matthew 5:1-6
A man once stood as a
brother and a preacher.
He stood high on the
mountain like every great teacher.
He would not be moved
from that peaceful place.
For his dream was love
for every race.
His words brought hope
to those without life.
And inspired a world
cursed by its strife.
The sound of his voice
rings down through the years,
Releasing the poor
from generations of tears.
He marched through the
streets calling people to rise,
And stormed the great
cities chasing after the prize.
He dreamed of a world
filled with love and light.
One far from the fear
that was cursed by the night.
A man once stood as a
brother and a preacher,
And was taken from us
like every great teacher.
But his dream lives
with us to remind us each day.
That we must keep
marching ‘til we all find a way.
According to the US Justice
Department, the number of incarcerated Americans exceeds 2 million people. Currently,
Black men, who are roughly 6.5% of the nation’s total
population, represented 37% of those behind bars. Further, 11% of
all Black males between 25 and 34 are in prison.
If he were here today, how would Martin Luther King, Jr.
address these horrible truths? I believe he would call all of us, ALL of us, no
matter what our heritage or race, to go into the prisons. He would challenge us
to start bringing hope to the hopeless, love to the love less and thoughts to
the thoughtless.
He was a man of vision and inspiration. And those are the
very things we all need. For weather or not we are behind bars, we are all
trapped in the prison of ignorance and darkness. We are all living in a world
held captive by hate and violence.
We are living in a world that does not know our Lord Jesus.
And if he were with us today, Dr. King would call ALL of us
to go to the top of that mountain, get as much light, liberty and love as we
can gather – and then bring it to the darkest nations, alleyways and prisons of
the world.
And though he is not with us, his dream remains. So come.
Let us begin. Let us ALL go as brothers and sisters to the mountain . . .
This Week’s Prayer
