During my trip to DC in 2018, I walked around the city on July 4th and visited most of the monuments and memorials. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial was one of my favorite stops. Taking time to reflect on his words and actions reminded me our work is never done.
One of his most well-known quotes is, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” In these words, King paraphrases words from a sermon delivered in 1853 by abolitionist minister Theodore Parker. Here are Parker’s original words…
“I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one. My eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by experience of sight. I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice.”
I think what Parker was getting at and what King meant and embodied was not that justice comes without effort, but rather that the divine flow moves in that direction and invites us to partner in its work.
We are invited every day to consider how we might do our small part in the grand story of creation to push against forces of oppression and evil and aid in bending that arc. We are neither the source of power nor passive observers; rather, we are partners in the ongoing work of bring forth goodness, justice, mercy, love…in a word, Shalom.
As we remember the life of Dr. King today, may we not just celebrate his life, his work, and his words; may we join in the efforts which existed long before him and will continue long after we are gone. May we do our part to help that arc bend towards justice.
Breaking Into Peace 