The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was honored and celebrated in Gray last week with the annual march in his honor.
As usual, the Jan. 19 march began at Mt. Salem Missionary Baptist Church at noon and concluded with a short program on the steps of the Jones County Courthouse. Rev. Wilbur Greene of New Damascus Baptist led the march, music and program.
This year’s keynote speaker, Gregory Lofton Sr., holds the dual role of pastor of Mt. Salem and transportation director for the Jones County School System.
Lofton stated the purpose of the march was to honor the life and legacy of King.
“He called to the nation to account, not with hatred, but with moral courage. Not with despair but with hope rooted in truth,” the speaker began.
He said Dr. King reminded America that its founding promises were not suggestions but obligations.
“He named injustice clearly, demanded change urgently, and insisted that dignity and discipline must walk together,” Lofton said.
He said honoring the legacy also means owning the moment of today. The speaker said during King’s time there was legalized segregation and denied access, but most of those barriers have fallen.
“We must acknowledge that freedoms have been gained and doors have been opened,” he said. “Opportunities exist today that previous generations could only imagine.”
Lofton said those facts cannot be dismissed, but 62 years later people are still marching, protesting and arguing over justice. He said that brings up a question of what has been done with what has been gained, and the defining issue of today is not only access but stewardship.
He compared the situation of today with the story of the prodigal son. The speaker said the son in the story asked for his inheritance early.
“He received resources before he received wisdom and freedom before he was matured,” Lofton said.
The speaker said those resources were not lost — they were squandered — and the mirror of that is happening today. He said over the past 62 years, something like an inheritance had been received.
“We got some of our rights that were long denied, access that was long blocked and opportunities that had been long withheld. But much of that came before we were prepared to steward it well,” Lofton said.
He said instead of squandering money, the community has squandered proximity to moral discipline and the faith that had sustained them when they had nothing.
“We didn’t lose everything; we drifted from faith to performance. From raising children in character to chasing symbols of success,” he said. “From repentance to blame.”
Lofton said part of that was pursuing what others have, and while doing that, neglecting the very things that had previously made them strong. He said the hard truth is people can gain rights and still squander their inheritance.
He said after squandering comes famine, and their famine is broken homes and lost moral authority.
“Churches are loud in protest but quiet in repentance. This is not all of us, but too much of us to ignore.”
Lofton said the turning part of the story was when the son came to himself, and that is the situation that exists today. He said history explains much but not everything. Injustice is real but is not the only problem.
“We still have a foundation we can return to; we’ve got to own this moment,” he said. “May we be the generation that stops defining success by limitation and start defining it by integrity.”
The speaker said King cannot be honored by ignoring the discipline and moral courage he demanded.
“If we return to faith, responsibility and moral clarity, justice will truly roam, righteousness will flow and freedom will no longer be squandered, but redeemed. That is how we honor his legacy.”
