Langston Hughes, African American poet perhaps best known for his poem which begins, “Hold fast to dreams…” had another poem which opens with a question: “What happens to a dream deferred?” Does it dry up, he wonders? Does it sag like a heavy load? Or does it explode? These are deeply powerful question which invites us to be curious and attentive to the heart of our faith and the faith of our hearts. What are your dreams? What is the state of your dreaming? Are you ever discouraged? Are you discouraged now?
Our nation will mark the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on this coming Monday, January 18. In our minds, we may hear the familiar sound of Dr. King’s voice as he proclaimed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, “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.” And clearly, Dr. King would have noted that, collectively, we have seen some elements of that larger dream fulfilled.
But events of this Wednesday past in Washington, DC, are impossible to separate from a growing meanness among us. Some of the language we heard carried racist overtones, and we are witnessing an increased willingness by some to resort to vicious words and even violence. And so, some have noted another sermon of Dr. King’s, delivered one month before his assassination in 1968, titled “Unfulfilled Dreams”. Though it might be tempting to see Dr. King as always confident, this sermon arises from a clear struggle with discouragement. In it, he compares life to Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony” and says, “life is a continual story of shattered dreams.”
So we enter this Sunday of remembering Dr. King’s lofty dream at a time when our collective dreaming is on shaky ground. The sermon for Sunday is titled “The Determination of Deferred Dreams”. The Biblical texts are Joel 2: 28-32, read by the Hitchcock family, and John 1: 43-51, read by Beth and Alicia Rosales. We will be guided musically by our sanctuary singers, led by Gerry Sousa and accompanied by Nara Lee. We will also have a time for children, prayers and hymns.
Whether you are new to St. Mark’s, or have been a part of the community for years, we look forward to connecting this Sunday. Visit www.smumc.church and click on the Live Stream banner at 10:30 AM.