“Get Up, Stand Up”

“He has told you O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”- Micah 6:8

“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Amos 5:24

“Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights! Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!” - Bob Marley, “Get Up, Stand Up”

Yesterday, January 17, 2011, marked the 25th anniversary of The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. National Federal Holiday. For the past 25 years on the third Monday in the month of January, we have celebrated the life and legacy of one who committed his life to freedom and justice for ALL people. When we think of Dr. King, one of the first words that comes to mind is “dream.” The eloquent speech that he gave on August 28, 1963 on the steps of the memorial honoring the “great emancipator” (laced with sarcasm) is what many people remember of the Atlanta, GA native. But his life was so much more than this speech and his dream was not one conceived by his own genius. Dr. King was not the first to have a dream nor will he be the last to have a dream. The dream that Dr. King spoke of was a dream birthed by so many before him. A dream and vision of a world where love, justice, and righteousness would reign. A world where the “-isms” that separate us can be destroyed and we live in harmony. A place where the people of God would not lack. A place where the poor will be cared for. A place where the orphan and widow will experience love and compassion. A place where all injustice would be eradicated and justice will reign supreme. This dream and vision trickled down through the ages. This dream and vision was conceived in the mind of God, professed loud by the prophets, and exemplified best through Christ.

On the third Monday in the month of January we have a tendency to idolize The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. We try to live vicariously through him and be satisfied with the work that he did with his life. We talk about “carrying on Dr. King’s dream” but if we are honest we would be satisfied if someone would do it for us, whether it be our preachers, pastors, politicians, or whoever. What we miss is that it is our job to help this dream and vision of “love, peace, and justice” come to fruition. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Thurgood Marshall, Frederick Douglas, W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, Booker T. Washington, Ella Baker, Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Jordan, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and host of others have done their part but the fact of the matter is they are dead and are not going to resurrect from their resting places. It is time for a new generation to rise up. We need to stop waiting for someone to declare a leader then we all follow. If you see injustice, inequality, or hate, do your part to stand and fight against it. Marley said it in these simple words, “Get up stand up/Stand up for your rights/Get up stand up/Don’t give up the fight.” It is time for us to get up and stand up. If Dr. King and others were living, they would not be pleased with the state of the world. They would not be pleased with the random acts of violence that continue to happen in this country. They would not be satisfied with our failing school systems. They would not be pleased with disparity between the haves and have-nots. They would not be pleased.

So it is my plea to my generation that “WE GET UP AND STAND UP!!!!!” so “JUSTICE CAN ROLL DOWN LIKE RIVERS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS LIKE AN EVER-FLOWING STREAM” and do what God expects of us and that is “ TO DO JUSTICE, AND TO LOVE KINDNESS, AND TO WALK HUMBLY WITH OUR GOD.”

This is Minister Mike and I want you to Consider This....