I remember someone saying once that Dr. King did not say " I have a five year plan" but " I have a dream". Dreams carry us where we think we will go and also to places we never thought possible. Dreams push us beyond our comfort zone, are frightening, cause us to risk and be filled with courage. Dreams don’t follow ordinary time but flow out in confusing and amazing ways, fueled by the Spirit. In the years since his death, as a people we have made great strides toward the realization of the dream and its inclusivity and also missed the mark in very tragic ways.

As we celebrate Dr. King’s birth, I am reminded that his life and his message were grounded in his faith, in his understanding of God’s movement in his life, God’s call on his life. His dream came out of what he believed and what he hoped. His dream was grounded in his hope for the kin-dom of God to be realized here on earth.

I came across this affirmation of faith today which I hope contributes to honoring the Dream:

We believe in sacred power within and around us-a divine spirit that we call by many names and expereince in many ways-that empowers and heals-that calls us forth. We believe in our creativity and doing justice.Justice that compels and empowers us to risk whatever we must risk to create a climate in which people can be who they are. We believe in our dreams. We experience the world as it is-in both its ugliness and beauty and we see what it can become. We believe in making peace. A peace that is based on openness, honesty and compassion. We believe in hope. We expect changes to continue to occur in our world. We rely on our courage to continue to bring about these changes. We believe in love. A passionate love within and around us that laughs and cries, challenges and comforts, a healing love that perseveres. We believe in potential. We know who we are-painful as that can be at times-yet we continue to call to each other to become more of who we are. We believe in celebrating. We remember and commemorate. We create rituals. We play and dance and sing and love well. We believe in diversity. We affirm our many shapes and sizes, colors and traditions, emotions and thoughts, differences and similarities. We believe in life. Life that wells up within and flows out of us like a streaming fountain. We believe that we are good and holy-a sacred part of all creation.

Let us continue dreaming together…….