Tag: remember

The Business of a Dream

By Ife J. Ibitayo

Each year in America, we reserve a day in January to commemorate the life and sacrifice of Martin Luther King Jr. The gifted orator and civil rights activist’s most famous work may be his “I Have a Dream” speech. In that sixteen minute address, King powerfully challenged a multitude of bigoted adults and confidently prophesied over his little children about a glorious future he wanted them to inherit.

The Past of a Dream

A framed photograph of King raising his hand to 200,000 dreamers on that sweltering summer day rests above my mantle. It reminds me of that historic moment every time I enter my apartment. Yet therein lies the problem. The 1950s and ‘60s were not home to the Civil Rights Moment but the Civil Rights Movement. King’s dream was not realized by a moment in time but a lifetime of sacrifice and struggle.

King Solomon once said, “A dream comes with much business and painful effort” (Ecclesiastes 5:3 AMPC). Before MLK met with Lyndon B. Johnson, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, and was named “Man of the Year” by Time Magazine, he was arrested, stabbed, and bombed. Years of academic and clerical study preceded his legendary letters and sonorous speeches. King’s blood, sweat, and tears formed the sunbaked road that we now trudge upon as African Americans in an integrated nation.

The Future of a Dream

So, as we look to the pursuit of justice here today, we too must remember that dreams are founded on movements, not moments. A single day in January is not enough to honor this man who’s life was cut off before he reached middle age. Black history month in February is not enough to reconcile centuries of systematically erased heritage. We must be about justice every month–every day–if we seek to actualize the vision that Martin Luther King Jr. thundered forth from our nation’s capital sixty years ago. And there is no organization in this country more responsible for spearheading this charge than the church.

The Dreaming Church

Speaking about the American church of the 1900s, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a bone-chilling condemnation that rings eerily true today. He spoke of his “disappointment with the Christian church that appears to be more white than Christian.” And in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, he wrote, “In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard so many ministers say, ‘Those are social issues which the gospel has nothing to do with,’ and I have watched so many churches commit themselves to a completely otherworldly religion which made a strange distinction between bodies and souls, the sacred and the secular.” The threat that the church “will lose its authentic ring, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the [current] century” has become a tragic reality for many today.

Conclusion

And so the church of Christ stands at a critical juncture. Will it settle for moments, or will it strive for movements?  Will it continue to descend into the realm of irrelevance, or will it rise to the challenge of justice? Will it remain asleep to the dream of Martin Luther King Jr., or will it wake up to its calling for this generation? Because if we want to fulfill this dream, we have a lot of business to do.

“Pursue justice, and justice alone, so that you may live, and you may possess the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”

(Deuteronomy 16:20)

https://open.spotify.com/track/0vo4Ls8OV3D85CvkXiJKlO?si=0e17afa185d04102

Remembrance

By Ife J. Ibitayo

Millions of Americans will celebrate the Fourth of July today. Festive parades in the morning, sizzling barbecues in the afternoon, and booming fireworks in the evening commemorate this historic event. These traditions remind us of that fateful day in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed, and the course that liberated our nation bounded into motion.

As I reflected on the history of our nation, the history of another came to mind. Thousands of years ago, the Jewish race were also oppressed by a foreign nation: Egypt. Through a series of miraculous signs and wonders, God set the Jews free, and He charged them with annually celebrating the Passover to commemorate their Independence Day.

These distinct holidays serve the same purpose, instilling a culture of remembrance amongst their respective nations. However, with the hustle and bustle of the daily grind, it can be easy to gloss over these seasons of celebration. But remembrance is more than a luxury; it’s essential.

Remembrance Triggers Perspective

On the night of the first Passover, the LORD told Moses, “‘[W]hen your children ask you, “What does this ceremony mean to you?” then tell them, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when He struck down the Egyptians”‘” (Exodus 12:26-27 NIV). Just as the weighty significance of the Passover might be lost to some modern-day Jews, the gravitas of Independence Day can be drowned out by a shower of flashy festivities and good gravy. As Americans, we often take for granted our freedom of speech, press, religion, and many others. These freedoms were not given but seized on a bloody battlefield in a harrowing war.

Remembrance Kindles Gratitude

God often described the promised land He was leading His people into as a land “flowing with milk and honey”. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses refers to it as a wonderland of gushing springs, ripe pomegranates, and decadent honey (Deuteronomy 8:7-8). But something about widespread abundance tends to produce national amnesia (Deuteronomy 8:11-14).

Wealthy nations tend to thank their booming economies, vibrant population, and innovative policies for their success. They forget these are the products of their astute forefathers and the gracious God who orchestrated it all.

Remembrance Sparks Joy

In the book of 2 Chronicles, King Hezekiah reinstates the celebration of Passover, which through a string of ungodly kings and rampant idolatry had fallen by the wayside. 2 Chronicles 30:25-26 says, “The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced…for since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.” King Solomon’s reign ended around 927 BC, and King Hezekiah’s did not begin until 727 BC. So the Jewish people denied themselves this season of celebration for two hundred years!

We too can get so caught up in the business of life and worries about tomorrow that we forget to stop, drop, and relax.  King Solomon himself said there was “a time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to be sad and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4 NIV).

 I’m not minimizing the tragedies we are living through this year. I know a pandemic is raging and racial tensions are nearing their boiling point. But our country has also survived another year in spite of these stressors. This alone is reason enough to celebrate.

Conclusion

A spirit of remembrance is the broth that a worthwhile life marinates in. We must allow the glory of the past to sink into the meat of today. May we remember how God has blessed America, and from my family to yours, have a Happy Fourth of July!

“Then he said to them, ‘Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.'”

(Nehemiah 8:10)