I’ll bet you were singing along as you read that, weren’t you? For those of you who don’t know those words, they are from the show stopping number from “Man of LaMancha,” the musical theatre telling of the story of Don Quixote, the slightly mad knight who tilted at windmills. It was his dream to bring righteousness into the world, to be brave for all those who could not, to care for those who lived on the fringes of life, forgotten.
Kinda like what Jesus did. Kinda like we’re supposed to do.
Such a weekend we had last week! The last report I heard was something over seven million people (although I have also heard eight!) who proclaimed loudly through voice, presence, and signs that we are a culture, a country who cares for those on the fringes, forgotten. We care for our children, our elderly, our sick, our poor, our lonely. We showed up and stood up for, well, everyone - without regard for color, language, or situation. I hope it made you as proud as it made me.
I hope it reminded you of some other words from over sixty years ago.
“Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
“So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
“I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.” - The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King.
There is more to the song, more to the speech. It is our sacred duty to add even more. It’s not a matter of patriotism, it’s a matter of faith.
We all have a dream. Impossible? Not at all.
With prayers for peace and HOPE,
Rev. Wally
