Still Dreaming

On August 28, 1963, nearly 50 years ago, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in a march for jobs and freedom. Click here to watch this historic speech. Not only do his words still capture the long and painful struggle for equality and full inclusion in the American dream for people of color, but also they still speak to us of a dream not yet fully realized.

When I was in seminary taking preaching class (15 years ago now—wow!), we watched his speech as an example of quality preaching. I must admit my own bias and prejudice: I think people of color can preach a lot better than white people, myself included. For whatever reason, God is able to help folks who have been battered by this world rise up and speak the Word of God. Scripture confirms this, for God often speaks from the margin, healing the broken, giving grace to the undeserving, and life to the dying. Because the Lord is in such solidarity with the poor, the outcast, and the oppressed, these folks are better able to channel God’s redemptive message, like a voice crying out in the wilderness telling us what God really wants in this world. African Americans are great preachers. Just listen to the speech again—the oratory skill, the use of a repetitive phrase, the call and response of the congregation, the fiery passion at the climactic end. Powerful words made all the more impressive by the Spirit so evident in Martin Luther King, Jr. I’ve even heard (though I can’t confirm it) that the most powerful part of the speech—the “I have a dream” part, was totally off the cuff, away from his notes. If you watch him, you can almost see it in King’s facial expressions, as he formulates the next line in his “dream” motif. Of course, as a person of faith, I recognize the Lord in the process, guiding this modern day prophet with the power of the Holy Spirit.

So what now? We certainly honor the movement itself, King, and his words. With a black man in the White House, we know we have come a long way. I especially honor all the sacrifices that have helped us reach this day. So many people took up their own crosses and followed the Lord, sacrificing so much, even their lives at times, so that their children would come closer to this dream. Folks like me, who weren’t even alive back then, cannot comprehend how bad it had been, and older folks have likely forgotten.

But this is all to say that we still have work to do. If King’s dream is to become a reality, we must continue to fight for this dream. Sadly, the stench of racism and prejudice still lurk in the human heart. And though we make progress on one front, it seems there are always more challenges to face. We work so hard to get one door opened; then, it seems another door closes. And yet, we must realize that even the closing of doors can’t thwart the work of the Lord. If a door gets closed, I always look for God to open a window!

And so I ask us to claim again the dream. To remain vigilant in our devotion and in our willingness to make sacrifices (take up crosses) in order to co-create with God the world our children will live in. Though I am still dreaming, it is not a passive, lying-on-your-back-looking-up-at-the-clouds kind of dreaming that is needed. We must participate in the dream, work for it, build it. “I Have a Dream,” still has power for us, my friends, and I invite you to join me in reclaiming the dream for a better world, seek first God’s Kingdom.

“Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” -Amos 5:24

Ron Trimmer is pastor of Hope United, a new church in Georgetown, Texas. Click here to visit Hope United's website.