by James Melson | Jan 25, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
This week on January 27 marks the 67th anniversary of a crucial event in the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was not a famous speech, protest, or campaign of nonviolent direct action. Rather January 27, 1956 was a profound spiritual experience that was...
by James Melson | Jan 18, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
A new sculpture in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King was recently added to the historic Boston Common. It is called “The Embrace” and is inspired by a 1964 photo showing Dr. and Mrs. King embracing following the news that he would receive the...
by James Melson | Jan 12, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
As Christmas becomes a memory and we move into this new year, it is easy to forget the part of the Biblical story of the child Jesus after the familiar scenes in Bethlehem. Following the visit of the Magi (wise men), there is the terrifying account of king Herod’s...
by James Melson | Jan 4, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
New Year’s Day of 2023 marked the 160th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Most Americans know that this is related to the end of slavery in our nation. Yet the proclamation itself is an example of the complex and unfinished journey of freedom and racial...
by James Melson | Nov 30, 2022 | 2022, Weekly Reflection
This Thursday December 1 marks the 67th anniversary of one of the most famous events in the modern Civil Rights Movement. That day Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white person on a Montgomery, AL city bus. This became the spark for the...
by James Melson | Nov 21, 2022 | 2022, Weekly Reflection
This Thursday is Thanksgiving, a time to reflect and give thanks for our lives individually, as families, and as Americans. Yet giving thanks does not mean ignoring the very real pains and tragedies of life. The killings at universities in Virginia and Idaho and the...
