Jesus, on the other hand, chose to ride in on a donkey. Quite a humble thing to do.
Pastor David started his sermon by reminding us that the slain Martin Luther King, Jr.'s body was (per his wishes) transported from Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church to Morehouse college, a distance of four miles, in a mule drawn wagon. It's pretty clear that both Jesus and Martin did this humble thing to honor the poor and suffering. And in this way Martin was also honoring his savior.
During this time, my husband, Ken, and I, along with our two small children, were in Atlanta living in a tiny cottage on the Emory University campus. A few years later I wrote the poem below.
Yesterday we walked with Martin,
It was raining very hard.
Hundreds, thousands pressed against us,
As we neared the fenced churchyard.
That morning I had fed my babies,
Dressed them, hugged them with thanksgiving,
Then drove us to all our day places
(You know I have to make a living. )
They were all alone in Memphis,
When the awful moment came,
Martin laughing by the railing,
At the small Hotel Lorraine.
People came from everywhere,
Needing rides and food and bed,
We scrambled to find safe places,
For them to lay their weary heads.
Yesterday we walked with Martin,
It was raining very hard.
Bobby, Ethel, Harry led them,
But hundreds, thousands swarmed the yard.
This morning we made Easter eggs,
For the preschool celebration .
We'll play and sing and clap our hands,
While waiting for the resurrection.
***
