Marches have a long history in the effort to secure freedom and justice, especially among groups who have been historically marginalized and/or abused. Perhaps the most famous march in Memphis was the 1968 Sanitation Workers Strike with its thousands marching and carrying “I am a man” signs. This was the march that brought Martin Luther King, Jr. to Memphis and led to his murder. Marchers walked in order to illuminate the neglect and abuse of black sanitation workers and to secure better safety and higher wages.
Marches have dominated the landscape of the Civil Rights Movement. One of the most memorable occurred in early 1963 when men, women and students united in a series of marches against racial discrimination in Birmingham. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, later that year, brought more than 250,000 and King’s “I Have a Dream Speech.”
Hundreds of thousands have marched in Washington since, participating in organized social actions like 1969’s Anti-Vietnam War Protest, 1995’s Million Man March, 1997’s Million Woman March, and 2004’s March for Women’s Lives. These and other marches have been a way for people to join together in solidarity and to work together for justice.
This imagery can be helpful as we consider the work of the Holy Spirit. In Gal. 5 Paul uses two images to describe what the posture of the church and Christians is toward the Spirit. At first, the two images sound the same:
But I say, walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16 ESV)
If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. (Gal. 5:25 ESV)
While the English translation may lead us to believe these are two ways of saying one thing, Paul actually uses two different verbs. The first verse uses a verb that simply means “to walk” or “to travel.” Paul is urging us to, in general, travel in our journey with the Holy Spirit.
The second verse is much more specific. The verb translated “keep in step” means “to march in line.” At its core, it points to the organized formation of people marching behind a leader–in this case, the Spirit. It feels significant that Paul precedes this image with words of freedom: “For you were called to freedom” (Gal. 5:13 ESV).
Paul envisions followers of Jesus as those who are marching in union. Leading the march is the Spirit. And driving the march is the quest to live in true freedom.
This image is transformative. What could it mean for our churches to see themselves as people of protest, called to follow wherever the Spirit leads in the cause of freedom? What could it mean for our church leaderships to stop measuring attendance online or at church buildings on Sunday and start nurturing participation in Spirit-led marches on Monday? What could it mean for us to no longer see ourselves as individuals, but as communities united in solidarity, pressing together for justice and righteousness.
What freedom is the Spirit working toward in your family, your neighborhood, your community, your country, your world? And what might it look like to keep in step with that Spirit, to link arms and be in lock-step with others behind that Spirit, walking boldly and undeterred?
