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An opportunity to remember and act

Remembrance is a sacred act that invites us to live out legacies and allow the past to shape today and our shared tomorrows. This Saturday, Aug. 24, and in the week ahead, we have an opportunity to remember and to be a part of history as we pay tribute to a dream of justice and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

I encourage each of you to participate in the observances in whatever way feels most special to you.  As Christians, we know that, with Jesus Christ, all things are constantly being made new. God is still stirring the waters and God calls us to act on our certain knowledge that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

On this 50th anniversary of the March on Washington For Jobs and Freedom, during which Dr. King made his "I Have a Dream Speech," we remember that God has, throughout history, constantly challenged us as people of faith to see things from the perspective of a Savior who makes all things possible.

Dr. King’s greatest legacy, I believe, was not just the fact that he was a non-violent warrior for racial and social justice. It was not just the fact that he was a prophetic voice for peace. In my humble estimation, Dr. King’s greatest legacy was that he never lost focus on the main thing in life – keeping Jesus Christ at the center of all he did.

Through everything, he managed to keep Christ first. Looking to his example, we are also confident that Christ lives within us, empowering us to make manifest a sacred vision of justice for all people.

The prophet Isaiah writes about the vision of a God who declares, “Behold, I will do a new thing.” This vision of a doing a new thing puts within our reach today, possibilities and opportunities that would otherwise be unthinkable. And the vision of Christ, for all who choose to remain faithful even during these turbulent times, will put within our scope tomorrow, horizons yet unseen today.

On this 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, I invite you to prayer, and I invite you to act, all the while envisioning new horizons of justice, equality and hope. We, too, have a dream and a God who will enable it to be become reality. This is a time for memory and for the living of a legacy. But it is also a time for action and for doing a new thing.

Thanks be to God who gives us each grace and strength sufficient for the journey.

Grace and Peace,

Bishop Marcus Matthews