Day 305 | Monday, 18 January 2021

Day 305 - Audio Version

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Day 305 | Monday, 18 January 2021 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO VIC SCHNELL!

 Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as we reflect on what his life has meant to our country and its people.

 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (words in boldface are by Dr. King)

“Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream. How can we share that dream?
 We pass the dream on to all those to whom beauty is truth and truth, beauty, and in whose eyes the beauty of genuine sisterhood and brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold.

 How will living the dream enrich our lives?
 The living of the dream will give us courage to face the uncertainties of the future. When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds, and our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, we will know that we are living in the creative turmoil of a genuine civilization struggling to be born.

What will living the dream do?
 If we but live the dream of love, we will bring about a new day of justice and peace. In that day the morning stars will sing together, and the sons and daughters of God will shout for joy. For God will have made all things new.”

 An Invocation:
“Holy God, we come fully recognizing that all people of whatever race or back-ground belong to you. Prompt us, O Lord, to reach out in love to our brothers and sisters on earth. Help us especially, to remember, that as we gather about the cross that reveals your love for everyone, we are all God's children and that Christ died for every soul on earth. In his name, we pray. Amen.”

 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
God of grace and truth, we bow our heads in remembrance: With dismay we remember a time when the Christian people of our nation were content to buy and sell human beings, often fellow Christians, like livestock. With thankfulness we remember how you have inspired generations of courageous leaders who sacrificed everything in order to remove the shame of slavery from our land.

We remember the peaceful warriors, like Martin Luther King Jr., through whom you have worked to increase dignity and liberty for all.  We turn to you and hope, for the task is not yet complete. Inspire us mightily, that we may continue the work of freedom in the cause of peace. Create in us such a thirst for justice and such a horror of bigotry, that we will strive willingly to comprehend complex issues and to train ourselves and others in the ways of respect and acceptance. Work in our hard hearts, teaching us to judge people not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. In our daily lives, so sharpen our consciences that we can break the habit of making degrading comments about entire populations because of the actions of a few.

Enlighten the eyes of our hearts, that we may see one another as you see us: beloved children, forgiven sinners, trying to make our way through life as best we can with the resources we have. Prevent us (consciously or unconsciously) from denying anyone the chance to pursue their dream simply because their gender, their race or their ancestry doesn't conform to our expectations. Deliver us from that hardening of the attitudes that refuses to listen and learn, and by so refusing condemns us to repeat the sins of the past. Help us forgive one another, advocate for one another and delight in one another, that through us the world may see all the colors of your creation in a new and holy light. For the sake of Jesus our Lord. Amen