America's Gift to the World
I remember seeing the first pictures of Germans hacking away at bits of the Berlin Wall. On that night a wall came down. It felt the same on Wednesday morning. A wall had come down.
And joy abounded, not primarily, I think, because the American people have elected a black man, but because of the kind of man they have elected.
Obama's rise from poverty to the Oval office has not left him believing that anyone who works hard enough can live the American dream, but rather convinced him that most people can't - unless the system changes. Indeed, though Obama is a brilliant orator, it is primarily his authenticity, his unconcealed intelligence, the content of his character, and the depth of his convictions that have stirred people. This man cares about the poor and the disadvantaged; this man thinks it is a scandal that people can't afford basic healthcare in what was, until recently, the most advanced economy in the world; this man is prepared to go to war, but only on high moral ground. This man doesn't want to rule the world, but serve it.
In all that, Obama has appealed to the best in all of us - our idealism, our yearning that we might be part of something great; the making of a better world for ourselves and for those that follow. And so it is that he has restored hope in politics. He is the only politician in my lifetime who has been able to reverse the decline in the engagement of western citizens in politics, particularly the young.
Of course, Obama may not prove to be a great President. He inherits a nation, and a world in crisis, just as David did after the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. Still, it is difficult not to think that overall the people of America, like the men of Issachar in David's time (1 Chronicles 12:32), have 'understood the times' well and have recovered that sense of what their nation is about and should do. And have chosen the right man.
And not just for themselves.
We should pray for him.
Mark Greene
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