Dare I speak those words? Would you? It can’t be all that difficult – just seven short words. I don’t need a dictionary to understand their meaning. Why do I even ask if I dare utter them?

On the 3rd of April 1968 they were spoken by Martin Luther King, in Memphis Tennessee. He dared speak them and he meant what he said. (You can easily find his address online; try searching with: I’ve been to the mountaintop). The sense of commitment and utter conviction with which he speaks is deeply moving. He concludes his speech and looks to the future with, “I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t really matter with me now… I would like to live – a long life; longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that right now. I just want to do God’s will… I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you… I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

In our reading from Matthew 16, we listen to Jesus’ words as he also looks to the future. Knowingly and willingly he steps forward on the path of suffering that leads to the ‘Promised Land’. Even in the last moment before his arrest, he committed himself completely to his Father, “May your will be done.” Today we hear Jesus call his disciples to be followers, to take up their cross. And how challenging his words can be, “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” Is this what we had in mind when we included ‘Courageous’ in our St Mary’s Values?

In our services in church today, and perhaps in our own personal prayers, we will pray the Lord’s Prayer. Take a moment to reflect as you come to: ‘Your kingdom come, your will be done’. I have to ask myself, dare I pray those words? How courageous will I be?

On the 4th of April 1968 at about 6.00pm, Martin Luther King stepped out on to the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, Memphis…