“Here comes that master dreamer! Come on, let us kill him and … we shall then see what comes of his dreams.” Whenever I read this passage from the Book of Genesis I think of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was the “master dreamer” of our time. What became of his dreams is captured in a three volume work on the King years by Taylor Branch called Parting the Waters. While the work certainly highlights the role that Dr. King played it is the “bit players” of the civil rights era who are prominently featured — people like Robert Moses, Diane Nash, and James Farmer. Their names are not widely known today but it was their dedication that pushed the United States toward a more just society after the death of Dr. King. What a powerful reminder that as we look in dismay at society today it is not only the famous people who can make a difference but “bit players,” people like you and me, who are called to bring about God’s dream of a world of compassion, forgiveness, justice and generosity by our seemingly small actions in daily life.
