On this momentous day, when the Inauguration occurs and we celebrate the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, it is a chance to consider the role of greatness. How does history define the greatness of a person? Is it his accomplishments? Surely yes. Is it his character? Hopefully yes. Is it the times who make the man/woman great, or does the person define the times?
I contend that often, the person does not set out to become famous, or even effective, but that these are the results. Yesterday we had the honor of helping the Advent Lutheran Church dedicate its new pipe organ by attending its dedicatory concert. Since I was a high schooler, trying to learn how to play the organ, I have been fascinated with the sounds and the character of a great pipe organ. Yesterday, I admit, was a treat, and since we now live in Florida, a rare one; there are few organs in churches here. But what affected me more was the accomplished guest organist, Peter Beardsley. I’m sure he never would have thought, through hours and hours of developing his technique and memorizing pages of music with thousands of notes and register changes, that he would achieve greatness. His daily routine of exercises, pedal practice, and most of all gaining the intuition to combine stops and experiment with textures and layers of sound, led to his accomplishments.
Just so, the framers of the Constitution debated, wrote drafts, considered as many angles as they could when they wrote about the ascendency to the Presidency of the United States those many years ago. Much has been said about the peaceful exchange, or in this case continuation, of Presidential leadership, but it is rather unique the way we Americans do it. And much to be envied, among countries of the world who watch today’s festivities.
Little did those writers envision the participants standing outside in January in cold temperatures watching a parade; nonetheless, history was made yesterday in a private ceremony in the White House, to be publicly repeated today for all to see. We will need to wait for the rest of history to record the results, but the people have spoken, and at least for a few minutes today will listen as the weight of power rests on the shoulders of Barack Obama.
Just so, the not-so-silent revolution in civil rights occurred one speech at a time, one sermon at a time, one mile of marching at a time, one committee meeting at a time, one soul-searching prayer-filled night at a time, one night in jail at a time, one commisserating conversation at a time, and one meeting with opposition leaders at a time. Dr. King did not achieve greatness because he sought it. But we stand in awe, saluting him today for the courage, the persevance, the tenacity, the vision, and the grace to guide this country to a better greatness. We thank him today, even though his message will probably be lost in all the hoopla and “yeah, I have a vacation day from work!” I would hope the world would reflect on his greatness today.
About the Author
