On April 3, 1968, at Mason Temple in Memphis, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” sermon.
As he prepared to close, he told the overflowing crowd: “We’ve got some difficult days ahead.”
Those words ring just as true today as they did nearly six decades ago. We, too, have some difficult days ahead.
By the time this article hits the newsstands (I’m dating myself), the midterm elections will be over. Regardless of the outcome, the fight for justice and humanity will continue with full force.
We’ve got some difficult days ahead.
The present administration and those driving a malicious agenda of anti-human policies driven by greed will likely ratchet up the rhetoric of ruin against safety-net programs. These are the very programs that support the people who actually do the living and dying in this country.
We’ve got some difficult days ahead.
Following the midterms, people who believe in the sacredness of humanity must turn their attention to holding elected officials accountable. Senators and representatives promised to protect the people’s agenda: health care for all, quality education for all, and ensuring billionaires pay their fair share of taxes to fund programs for “the least of these.”
If sober, principled leaders are not elected, and the hounds of hell break through the gates of Congress, then those who believe that every person has inherent dignity, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, or economic status, will have to redouble their efforts. We must resist the fanatical intent of those who believe one race is superior to others.
We’ve got some difficult days ahead.
Churches must stand in the tradition of the prophet Amos. They must declare to wannabe kings and sycophants who trade human principles for profit that God says: “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
Black churches in particular must make a Sankofa move, reaching back to reclaim the lessons of ancestors who waged heroic battles against white supremacy and settler colonialism, forcing this country to make drastic changes for the better.
We’ve got some difficult days ahead.
Black churches and people of goodwill must reclaim the narrative. We must prevent the masses, often captivated by social media talking heads who lack the bandwidth for deep theology, ideology, or political literacy, from falling under the influence of rampant ignorance online.
We’ve got some difficult days ahead.
Those who have always wondered what they would have done during the Civil Rights Movement will soon confront a hard truth: what they are doing right now is exactly what they would have done back then. For many, that means doing nothing but talking. Others will realize they are the kind of people Harriet Tubman would have left behind, because they did nothing but get in the way.
We must answer the question Dr. King posed in the title of his final book: Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?
We’ve got some difficult days ahead.
That sentiment reflects the words Jesus left with His disciples, hours before He was executed by the Roman Empire on a cross. In John 16:33, Jesus told them: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Yes, we have difficult days ahead, but we have truth on our side. We have justice on our side. We have our ancestors on our side. We have history on our side.
And for those of us who follow that barefoot preacher from the northeast African region of biblical Palestine, Jesus of Nazareth, we know that victory ultimately triumphs over defeat, because resurrection is a living reality.
Be vigilant, be authentic, and stay woke. Uhuru Sasa!
The Rev. Dr. John E. Jackson, Sr. Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ-Gary, 1276 W. 20th Ave. Gary, IN. Contact the church at [email protected] or by phone at 219-944-0500.
Based on reporting by Gary Crusader.
