(Annotated from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” Speech dated August 28, 1963)
Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.”
It is interesting to note that if you look at the Bible, you will notice that in the book of Daniel the prophet, he is quoted as saying in Daniel 9:9, that all mercy, all forgiveness belongs to the Lord Almighty, even though we continue to rebel against Him.
Forgiveness IS a constant attitude. The Apostle Paul understood the message that forgiveness is a constant attitude. In his letter that he wrote to the good folks at the church in Ephesus, he said in Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
In fact, Jesus himself was quoted as saying in the Gospel of Mark in 11:25, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive them so that your Father who is in heaven may forgive you of your trespasses.”
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here today having to endure great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from suffering oppression. And some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of inequality, bigotry, discrimination, favoritism, brutality, injustice and greed. For as we continue to work in and with the faith, you must know that unearned suffering can be very redemptive.
I say to you today, my friends, let us not wallow in the valley of despair, and 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 and all women are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day in the Flint Hills of Kansas the sons and daughters of former slaves, of former Indian tribes, of former immigrants, of former Mexican/Asian/Hispanic and European descent will all be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood in fellowship and peace.
I have a dream that one day this country, as it still swelters in the heat of injustice, inequality, intolerance, exploitation, discrimination and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice for all.
I have a dream that one day all the children will 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 that one day, as a community of faith, we will help the poor, the homeless, the distraught, the sick, the weak, the lonely, the abused, the bruised, those who have been misused.
I have a dream that one day, all will come together to join hands in unity, friendship, fellowship & hospitality, regardless of race, regardless of gender, regardless of social or economic importance. I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted by the word of God, that the rough places of our souls shall be smoothed through the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that the crooked places of our life will be made straight… “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”
This is our hope; this is our faith; this is our Lord, One whom we shall always follow and never detour from His merciful ways. With this faith, we will be able to dig around from the mountain of despair to lean upon the rock of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood and sisterhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to worship together, to struggle together, to even go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
And this will be the day — this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers and mothers died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so, let freedom ring… from the hilltops of New Hampshire, from the mighty mountains of New York, from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania, from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado, from the plains of the Midwest, from every mountainside, from every valley. Let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every city, from every village, from every home, from every citizen, then all of God’s children, black men and white men, Indian and Hispanic, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, Muslims and Mormons, the weak and the strong, the poor and the rich, the sickly and the healthy, the faithful and the faithless will one day be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
Pastor Mark