Tonight as a nation we elected Barack Obama to the highest office in our country. I am grateful for the opportunity our country has been given at this time. An opportunity to practice a new kind of politics that is about finding common ground and working towards a more just society rather than the politics of polarization whose goal is simply to win no matter the cost. I am grateful for the opportunity we have to become good stewards of God’s creation. I am grateful for the opportunity our country has to cooperate with and work alongside other nations for peace. I am grateful for the opportunity we may have to ensure that no citizen is denied health care or is denied coverage. I am grateful for the opportunity we have to turn the page on trickle-down economics that do not honor the “least of these” among us. I am grateful for much tonight.
But while I am grateful for the unique opportunities I think Barack Obama presents in this time, I am not breathing a sigh of relief, as if somehow President Obama would steer history towards the Kingdom of God, as if the fate of the world lies in the hands of people as unimportant as Presidents and Senators.
No. I firmly believe that the fate of the world lies in the hands of a poor Jewish carpenter born to a teenage mother in the Middle East. A carpenter who followed God - not to a position of power and honor - but to his own unjust execution by people who held power and honor. I believe in a God whose Kingdom is like a mustard seed, a small annoying virus that works from the grassroots until it takes over. And this is why I am grateful for tonight, but I am not overjoyed, I am not elated, I do not think “THIS is the moment we’ve been waiting for.” Nor do I despair, like some of my Christian brothers and sisters who opposed Obama. I do not despair, as if the fate of the world rests on Barack’s shoulders, as if God’s hands are tied by people as unimportant as Presidents.
I, like many of my Christian brothers and sisters, do not agree with President Obama’s stance on abortion. But I am praying that despite our opinions on the matter that we will be able to work with him towards a more just society where abortions are fewer and fewer. That is common ground I believe I share with Barack. We should not demonize him for the next four years, and waste an opportunity to work with him towards a common goal, just so we can elect a “pro-life” candidate in 2012. By all means vote for a pro-life candidate in 2012. But right now Barack is the President, so let’s make our voices heard, not waste time tearing down a fellow believer. Let’s pray that Barack is a good and decent and wise leader, no matter how you feel about his politics. I’ve been praying for George W. Bush these past eight years, though most of those years I was very opposed to his policies. I hope you will join me in praying for Barack Obama no matter how you feel about his politics.
In some ways I am sad for Barack. I think that he geniunely wants the best for this country and for the world. But I also believe that few positions in this world corrupt a human being like that of the President of the United States. I think it’s an office that takes good people and chews them up and that few people have what it takes to escape with their integrity (especially as Christians). I hope that doesn’t happen to Barack… but I’m afraid that it will. I’ve often thought in the past that the kind of people who want to become President deserve what it does to them, but I don’t feel that way about Barack. So while I’m praying that God gives him wisdom and integrity I will also pray that the power he has does not corrupt him as it certianly would me. And I’ll also be praying that when Barack’s agenda and the agenda of Jesus collide (as it does in all our lives) that Jesus would prevail against Barack and against me… for the good of us both.
