A New Year A New Day

Welcome friends,

This weekend we are all preparing for one of the most memorable two days in recent U.S. history.  On Monday the nation will stop and celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.  His actual birthday is January fifteenth.  The Monday after the fifteenth is the official holiday and this year that Monday settles down nicely next to January twentieth, which every four years becomes inauguration day. 

On Monday the world will watch us as we remember MLK and all that he accomplished.  Maybe his brightest moment was in the heat of August in 1963 as he delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech.  My brother Jeff and I were fortunate to have witnessed that speech as middle school students in D.C.  We lived in Virginia and our father worked for the government.  He took us to the march for jobs to witness King's great moment.  On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in the shadow of that famous statue of the great emancipator, King spoke of a day when God's people would be together.  The dream was for us all to live our lives without prejudice.

The irony of what will occur on Tuesday is that when the celebration of Barack Obama's inauguration is carried from the Capitol porch to the Lincoln Memorial steps, the dream of MLK will in part be realized.  Nearly fourty-six years ago the words, "I have a dream" were spoken by King and on Tuesday they will make more sense and have a greater impact than any words uttered by sociologists, religious figures and political manipulators since the emancipation proclamation.  I recently heard that Tiger Woods will break his life long committment to not be involved with socio-political issues and speak at Tuesday's rally on those famous steps.  What a moment it will be to see the newly sworn in president speak to a crowd glowing in the truth that anyone can actually reach the highest office in the free world.  That will be a wonderful New Year's gift to us all and will mark the begining of a New Day in our lives.  That sounds like a dream come true.

Believing the Gospel,

Scott