Sign In Forgot Password

What Would MLK Say to Us Today?

01/13/2021 02:38:42 PM

Jan13

Beth Schafer

As we prepare to remember and honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the Shabbat closest to his birthday, one burning question comes to mind. What would he say to us today? We are living through extraordinary and concerning times in the life of our country. If we cannot look to our nation’s icons of peace and social justice for wise and good counsel, to whom else would we turn?

One of his most prophetic statements was, “When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair ... let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe ... a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.”

This Shabbat we continue our journey through the book of Shemot, Exodus. For the past few months in the Book of Genesis our Torah narrative focused on God the Creator and God with whom we entered into a covenant through our patriarchs and matriarchs. Now we get to see God as the Deliverer, the Redeemer. How fortunate that MLK Day typically falls in the Book of Exodus. It is this portrayal of God on which Dr. King built his faith and with whom he encouraged us to invite as our partner in fighting for justice.

It seems that this week in particular we need to hear the echoes of Dr. King. As we honor him this Shabbat, may his words and his life’s purpose help shape our prayers; inspiring hope for a brighter, safer and more just future for our nation.

Shabbat Shalom,

Beth

Thu, March 28 2024 18 Adar II 5784