In this past Sunday Morning's church service one of the men of the congregation told the story of a young girl who was only about four years old. Apparently just before Christmas the little girl's father explained to her the true meaning of that day, that God has sent his only son Jesus Christ to the earth. Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary in a manger in Bethlehem nearly 2000 years ago. The father went on to explain to his little girl that God had sent Jesus to be our Savior because God loved us so much. This is why, the father explained, that we give each other gifts on Christmas day, as a way of showing our love for each other.
It so happened a few days later as the father and his little girl were driving down one of the neighborhood streets they passed a church building. The little girl noticed that in front of this church building there was a sculpture of a man hanging on a cross. The father explained to his daughter that Jesus was hung on the cross by the Roman soldiers because Jesus had traveled through Israel preaching the gospel. Jesus told the people that He was the only way to heaven and that He had come to the world to save all people from sin. Not only the Roman government, but the Jewish people wanted Jesus to stop preaching. When he would not, he was crucified. The father went on to explain to his daughter that Jesus became the sacrifice for all of us so that we could all be saved from our sins and that we could all go to heaven one day.
As they drove on, the little girl asked her father why she did not have to go to school that day. The girl's father explained to her that this was Martin Luther King Day, a national holiday celebrating the life and contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr. Her father told her how Martin Luther King Jr. had had gone across the United States preaching the gospel and declaring that all men should learn to love each other and to get along in the world together. The little girl ask what happened to Martin Luther King, Jr? The father then very gently explained to his daughter that Mr. King had been assassinated because of the things he said and believed. The little girl thought to herself for a moment then said
"But Daddy, isn't that what they did to Jesus?"
I have to tell you that this story brought the church to silence and maybe brought tears to the eyes of some of the people there. I have to admit that I had never thought of Martin Luther King Jr. in those terms. I was a child when he was crusading, and of course I heard the White adults of my generation for the most part saying that Mr. King should "keep in his place." I was only seven years old that day in April 1968 when the news reports started flooding our television. Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated. True, he was not hung upon the cross (literally) and true he was not the world's savior (literally), but MLK truly had a cross to bear, and in a sense, he was a kind of savior, as he was concerned for all people.
Decades later, I can look back on MLK and what he stood for in my own eyes, from my own point of view, separate from the attitudes of most of White America at that earlier time, and outside the shadows cast on this man by J. Edgar Hoover's FBI. And I was glad to be in the church service that Sunday morning, to hear what Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for, in the eyes of that little girl. I guess in the Sixties most people could not hear Martin Luther King Jr's real message because of their own attitudes, prejudices, and fears. As I sat in that church building, it seemed like I could hear Mr. King in that clear, ringing voice saying:
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
Mr. King bore a cross, and that cross was the message he made his mission to spread, that we were all children of God and that God loved all of us equally. That being the truth, then it followed that all men and women should be treated equally, not just under "the law," but in God's sight as well. Mr. King's message was one that many leaders as well as many of the common people did not want to hear at the time. Some people hated Mr. King's message so much that they began to hate the man as well. Persecution followed, both by the government and by the people. But Mr. King carried his message on, no matter the cost to himself. And what many people of the time did not want to acknowledge was that Mr. King was doing the Lord's work as well, spreading the Gospel along with the call for equal rights and fairness for everyone. Above all, Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned and longed for a time when all the people could live and love united.
Like Jesus, it is very likely that Martin Luther King, Jr. saw the inevitability of his own death, his blood shed for the message he brought. Just before Mr. King was murdered, he made another famous speech that included these words:
And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? ... Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't really matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. 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. So 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.[1]
MLK had a shining quality about him, and a grand vision of which he never lost sight. He truly feared death no longer, because he had somehow seen that glorious place that waited for him over that mountaintop. As amazing as was the man and the life he led, as well as the death he died, was the insight of this four-year-old girl. With the innocence of the young, she saw the blessing that Mr. King left all of us. True, the gift of the Good Shepherd of course outshines anything on this side of heaven, but how blessed was that church congregation this past Sunday, to see the brightness of MLK's reflection in the face of this little child.
It so happened a few days later as the father and his little girl were driving down one of the neighborhood streets they passed a church building. The little girl noticed that in front of this church building there was a sculpture of a man hanging on a cross. The father explained to his daughter that Jesus was hung on the cross by the Roman soldiers because Jesus had traveled through Israel preaching the gospel. Jesus told the people that He was the only way to heaven and that He had come to the world to save all people from sin. Not only the Roman government, but the Jewish people wanted Jesus to stop preaching. When he would not, he was crucified. The father went on to explain to his daughter that Jesus became the sacrifice for all of us so that we could all be saved from our sins and that we could all go to heaven one day.
As they drove on, the little girl asked her father why she did not have to go to school that day. The girl's father explained to her that this was Martin Luther King Day, a national holiday celebrating the life and contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr. Her father told her how Martin Luther King Jr. had had gone across the United States preaching the gospel and declaring that all men should learn to love each other and to get along in the world together. The little girl ask what happened to Martin Luther King, Jr? The father then very gently explained to his daughter that Mr. King had been assassinated because of the things he said and believed. The little girl thought to herself for a moment then said
"But Daddy, isn't that what they did to Jesus?"
I have to tell you that this story brought the church to silence and maybe brought tears to the eyes of some of the people there. I have to admit that I had never thought of Martin Luther King Jr. in those terms. I was a child when he was crusading, and of course I heard the White adults of my generation for the most part saying that Mr. King should "keep in his place." I was only seven years old that day in April 1968 when the news reports started flooding our television. Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated. True, he was not hung upon the cross (literally) and true he was not the world's savior (literally), but MLK truly had a cross to bear, and in a sense, he was a kind of savior, as he was concerned for all people.
Decades later, I can look back on MLK and what he stood for in my own eyes, from my own point of view, separate from the attitudes of most of White America at that earlier time, and outside the shadows cast on this man by J. Edgar Hoover's FBI. And I was glad to be in the church service that Sunday morning, to hear what Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for, in the eyes of that little girl. I guess in the Sixties most people could not hear Martin Luther King Jr's real message because of their own attitudes, prejudices, and fears. As I sat in that church building, it seemed like I could hear Mr. King in that clear, ringing voice saying:
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
Mr. King bore a cross, and that cross was the message he made his mission to spread, that we were all children of God and that God loved all of us equally. That being the truth, then it followed that all men and women should be treated equally, not just under "the law," but in God's sight as well. Mr. King's message was one that many leaders as well as many of the common people did not want to hear at the time. Some people hated Mr. King's message so much that they began to hate the man as well. Persecution followed, both by the government and by the people. But Mr. King carried his message on, no matter the cost to himself. And what many people of the time did not want to acknowledge was that Mr. King was doing the Lord's work as well, spreading the Gospel along with the call for equal rights and fairness for everyone. Above all, Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned and longed for a time when all the people could live and love united.
Like Jesus, it is very likely that Martin Luther King, Jr. saw the inevitability of his own death, his blood shed for the message he brought. Just before Mr. King was murdered, he made another famous speech that included these words:
And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? ... Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't really matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. 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. So 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.[1]
MLK had a shining quality about him, and a grand vision of which he never lost sight. He truly feared death no longer, because he had somehow seen that glorious place that waited for him over that mountaintop. As amazing as was the man and the life he led, as well as the death he died, was the insight of this four-year-old girl. With the innocence of the young, she saw the blessing that Mr. King left all of us. True, the gift of the Good Shepherd of course outshines anything on this side of heaven, but how blessed was that church congregation this past Sunday, to see the brightness of MLK's reflection in the face of this little child.
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