Word for Word
Reverend Pressley Sutherland's column for thoughts and devotions.
| MCC's Rev. Nancy Wilson on 45th Anniversary of Historic King Speech |  |  |  |
| Friday, 29 August 2008 02:00 | |||
 I was just entering my teenage years when The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stepped to the podium at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. and offered the speech that by all accounts changed the course of human history and our awareness in the United States of both the wrongs we as a nation had inflicted upon brothers and sisters of African descent and the potential we held, as people who believed passionately in the possibility of change, to carve out a new and different future.Bayard Rustin, our gay brother and the architect of that historic march, would later reflect, saying, "The march made Americans feel for the first time...that we were capable of moving beyond division and bigotry." "I think it will be quite some time," Rustin continued, "before there will be another such spiritual uprising in the hearts of people." That flame of passion and hope that King's words so eloquently and powerfully kindled in me, however, would be reignited not that many years later, the first time I stepped into a Metropolitan Community Church and knew for sure that the dream really did include me -- that there was not only a place for me in this world, but also a reason God had called me to life and made me exactly who I was and am. That is what I believe this historic moment, the 45th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Justice and of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech is all about: reminding all of us that we not only have a place in this world, but a purpose -- a purpose that is of urgent import if our dreams of freedom and equality for people around the globe are to come true. "We have come to this spot," King would say that hot August day, "to remind America of the fierce urgency of now." I believe we -- you and me and people of goodwill like us across this globe, witnessing what many never thought they'd live to see -- the tearing down of a part of the wall of racial segregation and discrimination that has stood firm since the founding of our country and replacing it with the hope of each and every life being able to achieve its fullest potential and purpose -- must seize this moment as the one we've been waiting for to implement the dream that so many before us have lived and died for. Tonight, there will be MCCers present on the floor of a stadium where history will be made, and there will be MCCers watching from afar, as I did so long ago. We are a movement of faith; we do not endorse political parties or candidates. We do something much more fundamental for the future of God's people everywhere: we make it possible for people of all races and genders and sexual identities to claim their God-given natures and potential. We not only keep the dream alive, we help it see the light of day in places never before imagined. Everyday, someplace in this world -- whether Nigeria or New York, Eastern Europe or the East side of Chicago -- an MCCer somewhere makes it possible for a gay man to believe again in his own dignity and value and worth; for a lesbian living with HIV to come out as a model mother and partner; for a young person abandoned by family and social institutions because of gender identity and sexual orientation to find the safety and support necessary to grow up; for transgender people to find the inspiration to carry on the legacy of leading the way in battles for human rights. Those of us who've studied history know that every dream has a shadow side. For every great hope and aspiration, there is a painful, often destructive reality adding fuel to the fire. Bayard Rustin said the proof that anyone of us really believes in the dream is in the action we are willing to take. Underneath the dream of racial equality and unity regardless of class, education, wealth, health, orientation, gender identity, and faith is the reality of how often and how badly we divide ourselves because of those things. Wars are fought and genocide is justified based on the beauty and plan of creation: diversity. What I find myself dreaming about tonight is all the ways Metropolitan Community Churches can become a force for greater peace, greater wholeness, greater healing in our world. I am dreaming about the ways we can embrace and provide for the futures of queer youth around the globe, and I hope you will dream with me. I am dreaming about the ways we can connect to movements of peace, movements to end poverty, movements to end hatred and violence based on difference, and I hope you will dream with me. I hope that as the MCC movement enters it's 40th year, a number that holds symbolic significance in so many of our faith traditions, we will commit ourselves to taking on the mantle of Dr. King's legacy and keeping all our varied dreams and all our diverse hopes and all our human promise alive. Listen to the voices of hope: "As an African American same gender loving woman," wrote my colleague and friend, Bishop Yvette Flunder of The Fellowship, an association of LGBT affirming churches and a partner of MCC in pursuing the dream of one people, one world, "I am overwhelmed with joy on this week that marks the anniversary of women's right to vote and the March on Washington led by Dr. Martin Luther King. What a great coming together of the dreams and hopes of so many living and passed away. There is great dancing in heaven, I am sure, to see an African American nominated by a major political party. Gone are the walls that divided us and now is the time for unity." "This is the dawn of a new day," proclaimed The Rev. Elder Darlene Garner, "a new day for people of all colors and creeds in America and in the world. It is what so many of us have spent our lives dreaming about and working for." "This is a day I wish my parents could have witnessed," The Rev. Candy Holmes, Director of MCC's People of African Descent Conference, wrote to me, "a day when history converges the collective energies of the courageous souls of our yesterdays to make this day a reality. I am so glad I lived long enough to see a black man say, 'I am the change I want to see,' and people of every tribe, creed and color rally around him to embrace his promise." So many people wrote to me about the power of this historic day and how its promise converges with that of MCC: to tear down walls and build up hope. Probably no one's testimony was more moving to me than that of The Rev. Robert Griffin, who wrote: "My birth in 1967 fell between the assassinations of two of America's greatest heroes, President John F. Kennedy and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. What history has informed me about these two great men is that they inspired people like me, a country boy from Alabama, a black man, a gay man, an HIV-positive man, a man who loves another man to dream big and to know that everything is possible and everything is achievable." Martin Luther King concluded his speech 45 years ago urging people to go back to their homelands and hamlets, the places they lived and worked, refusing to "wallow in the valley of despair" and knowing that somehow things would change. He urged the crowds that formed the largest civil rights march in U.S. history to cling to the dream no matter what. I urge all of us tonight to cling to the dreams that unite us as human beings and that offer the fullness of life to each and every child of God. MCCer Donna Payne told me she knows of no greater thing any of us can do, than be part of what will bring people of all fabrics together.
Together, let us seize the promise this historic night represents. Let us seize this moment with all the courage and passion we have, for the sake of all God's children and a dream that must never die. In peace and love, +Nancy The Reverend Nancy L. Wilson Moderator Metropolitan Community Churches
Founded in 1968, Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) is the world's largest and oldest Christian denomination with a primary, affirming ministry to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons, along with their families and friends. Often referred to as "The Human Rights Church," Metropolitan Community Churches has members and adherents in 28 countries. To learn more about MCC's international ministry, visit www.MCCchurch.org
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