Promised Land

Deuteronomy 34:1a, 4-5

Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Mount Pisgah east of Jericho, and there the LORD showed him the whole land … Then the LORD said to Moses, “This is the land that I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob I would give to their descendants. I have let you see it, but I will not let you go there.”

So, Moses, the LORD’s servant, died there in the land of Moab, as the LORD had said he would.

The day before his assassination in 1968, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave what would be his final speech in Memphis. In that speech, King described just how far their movement for civil rights had come. Acknowledging that there was still much work to do, he rejoiced in what God was doing in the hearts and minds of people around the world.

He referenced a scene where God showed Moses the Promised Land. Although Moses would not enter the land himself, this passage from Deuteronomy tells of how Moses could see the promise unfolding before him. With sad irony, King laid out how he too could see the promised land on what would be the day before his death. Like Moses, King was also not to enter that Promised Land.

It’s been over 55 years since King made that speech at the Mason Temple in Memphis and many still believe that King would still be waiting to enter that promised land. For many, the day of entry has been further delayed because of the events of this period in our history. 

From the banning of books in public schools to the closing of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offices in public institutions of higher education, the dream of the promised land is being delayed even further. From banning healthcare for transgender teens to banning reproductive choices for women, the distance to the promised land gets further and further away. 

What did King have to say about this? What is the answer? He laid it out in that Memphis speech:

“Now, what does all of this mean in this great period of history? It means that we've got to stay together. We've got to stay together and maintain unity. You know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing it. What was that? He kept the slaves fighting among themselves. But whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh's court, and he cannot hold the slaves in slavery. When the slaves get together, that's the beginning of getting out of slavery. Now let us maintain unity.”

On this day of celebration for the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., we are called by God to take to the streets, to queue up at the voting booth, and to advocate for those on the margins. We are called to see each other’s struggles for freedom as our own struggle. We must and always see not only to our own causes, but to see the causes of our brothers and sisters and non-binaries as our own. We are called to unity. For only in that moment, can we take our steps to enter the Promised Land.

A prayer by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. :

O God, the Creator and Preserver of all mankind; In whom to dwell is to find peace and security; toward whom to turn is to find life and life eternal, we humbly beseech Thee for all sorts and conditions of men; that thou wouldst be pleased to make thy ways known unto them, Thy saving health unto all nations. We also pray for Thy holy Church universal; that it may be so guided and governed by thy Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the land of peace, and in righteousness of life. Amen.