"Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And he's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."
Less than 24 hours after speaking those words, Martin Luther King, Jr. was dead.
It's been 42 years now since Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated here in Memphis. I think it's highly appropriate to be reflecting on him and his work today on Easter.
Not long after I moved to Memphis, my parents came to visit me and one of the things we did was make a trip to the National Civil Rights Museum. Upon parking, we turned the corner and I got goosebumps as I realized that the facade of the building is the Lorraine Motel where MLK was shot. Something about it made the entire thing seem much more immediate and real than it ever had to me.
Last fall, I participated in an initiative here in Memphis called Common Ground. It brings together people from different races to talk about their experiences in an effort to combat racism. 42 years after Martin Luther King, Jr. died here in Memphis, we've still got so far to go. It was amazing to hear the stories of people who still experience racism, both overt and institutional, every day.
As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, I think a lot about how far we still have to go to achieve the justice of God's kingdom. We hurt each other, we fight each other, we hate each other. And, yet God is still there. Loving us and calling us back to living the lives he calls us to live.
We have so far to go, but we are blessed that in Jesus' death and resurrection, he reminds us that it's ok that we fail day in and day out. And he promises us that through his resurrection, he will be with us every step of the way as we try to improve.
Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, "I want you to know...that I am a sinner like all God's children. But I want to be a good man. And I want to hear a voice saying to me one day, 'I take you in and I bless you, because you tried.'" That's my prayer for today. May I continue to try. And then try again.
How blessed I am that our risen lord gives me that opportunity.
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
The Lord is Risen indeed! Alleluia!
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