-
·
The Dream of GOD, a Nightmare of Privilege
[bctt tweet=”A poem for King, justice, and repentance. #ReclaimMLK” nofollow=”yes”] When we speak of a dream, we speak not of the hazy sleep indulgence, the phantasm of our psyche, but the very call of GOD to make this world radically different from the way it is. The dream, a tricky encounter of revelation. Assaults our…
-
·
A Poem for Freddie Gray, Baltimore, and all of us
GUILT When the preacher said “I’m absolutely convinced that a riot merely intensifies the fears of the white community while relieving the guilt.” My white ears hear the condemnation and the righteous call for peace. My poet ears hear the economy of language and concern. My pastor ears hear the prophetic reminding us our guilt…
-
·
In the Wilds
a homily for Advent 2A Text: Matthew 3:1-12 In the wilderness, a hero As our story begins, it says John “appeared in the wilderness.” Other verbs would convey motion: John walked, wandered, or made his way. Our verb “appeared” lacks motion: he was not—then he was. John appeared, like an apparition, it seems from nothing.…
-
·
Our Dream and Our Reality
Fifty years ago today, the most powerful, religious moment in our shared public history occurred: the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. And I can’t help but believe that we’ve missed the most important part. I’ve written about how we’ve domesticated King’s message and the intention of the moment into it’s direct opposite purpose.…
-
·
Love King? Live Kingdom.
MLK was a visionary, not because he was a civil rights leader or because he was faith leader, but because he had vision: he understood Jesus’s vision. And he cast it out for us to see. A world in which we lived the Kingdom of GOD, not just paying it lip service. A vision in which he famously…
-
·
The Dream 2012
On the 49th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, it seems fitting to reflect on where we are in fulfilling it. Back in January, I wrote this for King’s birthday: It should surprise none of us that a leader villified by the conservative white community as “uppity” would become as…
-
·
Turning Points
a Sermon for Lent 5B Text: John 12:20-33 Turning Points On Wednesday, we talked about this pericope as a turning point. We know turning points as specific moments in time in which things change. Sometimes it is a decision we make or a decision made for us. Or perhaps it is an event in which…
-
·
Oh, How We Need The Dream
A year and a half ago, I wrote a post about “the dream speech” by Martin Luther King, Jr. In it, I wrote the following: …I will share how I, living in the country transformed by this moment, still respond to Dr. King’s words. When Dr. King says, toward the opening of the famous “I…