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The Reverend Jesse Jackson, who the New York Times has called the nation’s most influential Black figure in the years between the civil rights crusades of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. and the election of Barack Obama, has died at 84.  

And while he never achieved the stature of Dr. King or the electoral success of President Obama, Reverend Jackson’s place in history and his spot in heaven are secure because he preached a Gospel of inclusion and hope that touched millions.  

For me, Galatians 3:28 offers a powerful reflection on Reverend Jackson’s ministry. In proclaiming there is no longer Jew or Greek, no slave or free, and no male or female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus, Paul, like Reverend Jackson, emphasizes unity without erasure. In Christ, social hierarchies lose their power, dignity is shared equally, and belonging comes from grace rather than status or division.  

As he passes from the scene, this vision for the world has not yet been realized, but because Jessie Jackson lived, marched, preached, and pushed, the world is much closer to being united in Christ.  

Rest in Power – Reverend Jackson, and for the rest of us, let’s keep hope alive.  

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