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Good morning. Sixty years ago today, the enrolment of the first black students at Central High School in Little Rock Arkensas seemed to have brought to an end racially segregated education in the United States; yet to get those nine young people through the doors required the intervention of President Dwight D Eisenhower himself, who sent more than a thousand paratroopers to ensure their safety.

That day is often regarded as a turning point, not least because it brought the issue of race and equality of opportunity to the forefront of public awareness. It was widely reported and televised, and brought the debate about civil rights into living rooms across the United States.  

There was something very powerful in those images of children surrounded by a baying mob.... of thousands of armed troops on a school campus. They were things that should never be seen together, and when they were, many people were shocked and galvanised into action.

Sadly, as recent events have demonstrated, racial tensions still exist today, reminding us that to effect lasting change often takes a lifetime of commitment to a cause. The courage to challenge injustice is one thing. It’s where we need to start. But to see it through to the end we need the strength to persevere, and that comes from the conviction that things can be different, from the vision of a better future. 

Such a vision is at the heart of the biblical tradition. It’s expressed beautifully in the psalm which reminds us that: ‘Mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other; truth shall spring up from the earth and righteousness look down from heaven.’

Lord God, we give you thanks for all who work for justice and peace; may we never lose sight of the vision of your kingdom come, never tire of doing your will on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.