Soulful strains of Pat Pulley singing “Come walk with me” preceded Lloyd Houk’s thoughtful presentation about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Monday evening’s annual remembrance of the civil rights leader at the Ward Chapel A.M.E. church. IN ADDITION TO Pulley’s powerful vocal, Houk ended his presentation with an equally touching rendition of “You Lift Me Up.”
The day was set aside as a national holiday for Americans to pause and recall all that King accomplished.
But, as Houk said, there is more to do, with the celebration appropriately titled “Looking Beyond the Dream.”
King could have been comfortable in an environment expected of a high-profile minister, which he was, but instead felt compelled to “stand up, speak out for something” he believed in — the right for all men and women, regardless of their color, to enjoy equality, Houk said.
Despite threats against his life, his home being bombed and his family threatened, King “knew what had to be done,” Houk continued.
“How sad our leaders have not realized the battle that we are fighting is a spiritual war and without the strength and guidance of Jesus Christ the battle will never be won,” he said. “Spiritual battle is everywhere, no matter where we go …”
Houk encouraged his congregation of nearly 100 to look with resolve to the future.
“If we continue to hold onto the past, and all the offenses that have been launched against us, we will never receive what God has in store for us,” he continued. “… we will be dwelling on crumbling foundations and not on the rock of His salvation.”
Speaking to King’s famous “Dream” speech, Houk noted: “Dr. King had the power, the ability and the capacity to transform those steps on the Lincoln Memorial into a monumental area that will forever be recognized.
“By speaking the way he did, he educated, he inspired, he informed, not just the people there, but people throughout America, the world and even unto the unborn generations still to be. That transformation came because he first honored his creator, and secondly he spoke with great wisdom as only God could give to him, to touch all people of the world.”
In conclusion, Houk said King “knew there was a chance that one day his voice would be silenced physically. But, he also knew that no one could silence the spirit of the living God of whom he built his entire life upon.”
The Reba E. Davis Memorial Drum Circle, composed of students from USD 257 elementary schools, also performed and drew an appreciative response.
King’s dream lives on
