The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was the major leader in the Civil Rights Movement of the 50’s and 60’s. He was a young man of amazing intelligence, courage, discipline and strength. Before he earned the titles “Reverend” and “Doctor,” and before being thrust into the midst of a monumental movement for freedom and unity, Martin Luther King, Jr. held the title of Christian. It was his Christian upbringing and faith that fueled his love for humanity and passion for equality, unity and reconciliation.

Every year on MLK Day themes such as social justice, reconciliation and unity are emphasized. Church services and special community programs are held, along with unity marches and panel discussions. Prominent in the media is Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. In this speech Dr. King emphasized his belief in humanity’s need for one another. Dr. King believed that the human family was tied together regardless of its differences.

Another less familiar but phenomenally profound speech of Dr. King’s is entitled “An Analysis of the Ethical Demands of Integration,” which was delivered on Thursday, December 27, 1962. In this speech Dr. King expressed that integration is much more than simply the act of desegregation. He viewed integration as a way of life in which people shared community and relationship, and he believed that humanity’s best interests are served through unity.

There are some people who believe Dr. King’s dream will never come to pass, while others view the dream as having already been fulfilled with no further need for emphasizing. If Dr. King were alive today, he would likely see the truth as being somewhere in-between these two perspectives: There has not been complete fulfillment of the dream although phenomenal accomplishments have been made.

Principles of reconciliation and unity should still be highlighted in positive ways and MLK Day is an appropriate time to talk about where we go from here as humans whose lives are influenced by one another regardless of our differences.

Question of the day: Who are the persons or groups with whom you need to reconcile?

Focal Scriptures: Ephesians 4:1-4; 1 Corinthians 12:26-27; Revelation 7:9-10

For a complete lesson on this topic visit LinC.