for 14 JAN 06: ROOTS OF A DREAM
(BLOGGER'S NOTE: You may find this humorous, serious, or a little of both - but from time to time, we offer things to reflect upon as we keep the seventh-day Sabbath.)
Every year at about this time, I reach into my drawer and pull out a cassette with Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior's "I Have a Dream" speech. I recorded it when National Public Radio played it on MLK Day in 1997 -- complete with an interruption for an Atlanta traffic report. [True!]
Dr. King made his living as a church pastor, before he gained the title "civil rights leader." So did he mention the Bible in his famous speech? Read or listen to it, and you might not know right away. Even in 1963, you sometimes had to be subtle about quoting Scripture....
It turns out the "I Have a Dream" speech refers to the Old Testament a couple of times, without directly saying so:
+ "Righteousness as a mighty stream...." You'll find this in Amos 5, in a passage about people who worship false gods. Sadly, some people seem to worship Dr. King on the holiday more than the God he preached about.
+ "Every valley shall be raised up...." That line is from Isaiah 40 - but no, it is NOT about Columbus having success in high school baseball or minor league hockey.
If you're not sure about how to mark "King Day," those two areas of the Bible might be a good place to start. Read the chapters in their entirety, and you might make some interesting discoveries. It's a much better commemoration than eating Chicken a la King.
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