As promised yesterday upon this blogsite, this is simply to acknowledge that - as mentioned in detail in my previous blogpost (upon the recent passing, 40 days ago, of renowned American evangelist Billy Graham) - 50 years ago, yesterday (NZ-time), upon April 3rd, 1968, 'the *Reverend' Martin Luther King, Junior, gave his final major speech in which he made prophetic reference to the entering into (by black Americans) of America's own Promised Land, and the day later (April 4th) - 'as fate would have it' - he 'entered into his [final] rest', felled 'for good' (or rather great evil) by an assassin's bullet/s.
Oddly, and serendipitously enough, I prefaced my observations upon the passing just the other day (or rather month-and-a-third) of King's contemporary, 'the *Reverend' Billy Graham, with reference to both the above...completely unaware that I was penning those remarks upon the 50th anniversary itself of that/those selfsame historic day/s...but 'fate' again thought and evidently chose otherwise once again...
But enough of my rather obtuse and extremely removed 'connection' to MLK, it almost appears like a subtle case of big-noting, that despicable 'art-form' in which, admittedly, I've occasionally happened to (on ever so small a scale, arguably) indulged...
Anyhow, let me just share some of the recollected (taped) remarks of King upon that fateful, penultimate day of his brief earthly sojourn...as heard this morning upon Democracy Now:
I've been to the mountain-top [as had Israel's ancient deliverer, the Law-Giver, Moses]...
God's allowed me to go up to the mountain ["....."......"....."....."......"......"......"......"]
& He's let me look over [into the Promised Land] [ditto]
I may not get there with you...[but I'm telling you today we will get there...(by) forty years from now]
Like Moses, MLK wasn't privileged to enter that **long-dreamt of land of milk and honey, but he was honoured, like the great Israelite statesman, with a glimpse into its 'hallowed halls'...while God allowed him to exit his brief earthly sojourn, having achieved God's great purposes in his own and in his nation's (and indeed world's) life...not a mean feat, by any means...no, a tremendous achievement.
So, may I simply add my own personal 'thank you' to a man who's inspired me upon my own earthly sojourn...probably more than any other single contemporary human leader. Like my (long vanished) good friend Daniel Sutherland, who like myself undertook the Diploma in Primary Teacher Training at Christchurch's College of Education back in 2006, and who used to play audiotapes of MLK as we meandered our way through the maze of downtown Christchurch traffic past Hagley Park on our way to 'study'...Martin Luther King's about as good a mentor as one could find pretty well anywhere these days...and that's saying something.
*Though like my Lord, I personally choose not to use such epithets or titles to denote God's earthly ministers, since Jesus warned us not to call any mere earthly leader 'Rabbi', 'Father', 'Teacher'. Anyhow, no-one but Jesus was ever completely, through-and-through holy and hence befitting such a term; though, conversely, the Bible employs the term 'saint' for one and all true believers, not just for those whom the church of the particular day regard as especially virtuous or worthy of acclaim.
** Sadly, if MLK were resurrected today, I somehow doubt he'd regard America - post-its very first black President, notwithstanding - as having entered into its own Promised Land', much less one of milk and honey... No, indeed, if anything its troubles seem to be just beginning...
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