Brandon Ives

I once heard someone say that a good author quotes, but a great author steals. I know that pastors are not supposed to say things like that, so forgive me my transgression.

But this last Sunday, I happened to steal a bit from a famous sermon written by Martin Luther King Jr. Although I have rewritten certain sections of it to make it my own, the main theme is quite certainly his.

Having recently celebrated the holiday honoring Dr. King, I feel it appropriate to share part of our sermon with the community at large. Its goal was not only to honor the legacy of Dr. King, but also to honor all of those great saints who have refused to accept the world as is. My hope is that we might once again dream as if we were children, seeking a world that is transformed not by power or strength, but by love and compassion.

So...Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations that exist all over the world--in places like the broken and turned-upside-down roads of Haiti, in the war-tattered deserts of Sudan, and in the stifling ghettos of Uganda...

...I still have a dream.

And I believe it's a dream deeply rooted in God's dream for humanity. I have a dream that one day God's people will rise up and live out the true meaning of Jesus’ creed: "Blessed are the poor in spirit; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them."

I have a dream that one day in the dry wells of Africa, clean water will rise up.

I have a dream that one day those who live in Darfur, a people sweltering in the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into a community of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my son Augustine will one day will love every man, woman, and child regardless of the color of their skin.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the country of Haiti, whose people cry out in pain, desperation, and hopelessness, will be transformed by the light and furious grace of God's people.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be lifted up, every hill and mountain shall be torn down, the rough places will be made smooth, and the broken places will be pieced together, and the glory of the God shall be revealed, and all humanity shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I go today into the streets of Chase City.

With this faith God's people will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to stand up for justice together, knowing that all people will one day be free in Jesus.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within; grace, grace, God's grace, grace that is greater than all our sin!"

And if the people of God are to be the hands and feet of Jesus, this must become true:

Let freedom ring for the child of drug addicted parents in Wylliesburg.

Let freedom ring for the single mothers in Chase City who know not where rent will come from tomorrow.

Let freedom ring for the hungry children in our poorest neighborhoods.

Let freedom ring for the business owners on Main Street who struggle to keep their business going from month to month.

Let freedom ring for the abused and battered woman, who hides her bruises out of shame.

Let freedom ring for the Haitian child who still hasn't found his mommy.

And let freedom ring for the young boys and girls of our counties schools who have begun to find hope in the good and loving hands of their dedicated teachers.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every trailer park, from every state, from every town, and from every city.

When we let freedom ring, from every food pantry and AA meeting, from every small group gathering and deacons meeting, from every home that needs food, medicine, and hope, and when we let freedom ring from the sanctuaries of Chase City and from our hearts and from our lips.

We will be helping God's kingdom find a reality here on earth and in Mecklenburg County, making true the words of the old Negro spiritual...

Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.

Join me this week in dreaming new dreams. Dreams that will help bring a renewed spirit to our beloved community. Amen

Labels: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dream, Sermon