Reflecting upon last night and Election 2008
Many (I hope all) of those who read this blog voted on Tuesday. I chose to vote last Thursday, but wrestled with waiting until yesterday to vote to actually cast my ballot in the lines and crowds that gathered Tuesday across the nation to vote. My crazy schedule right now, however, won out and my ballot was cast early here in South Dakota.
As I watched the returns come in and then took in the speeches from Sen. McCain and President-Elect Obama, I was struck by several things that each many shared in their respective speeches. I am hopeful that we all can take their words to heart as we move forward as a nation.
From Sen. McCain's speech:
I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.
From President-Elect Obama's speech
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.
I was struck by the call of both of these leaders of our country to move beyond the bitterness and division that has marked much of this campaign. I further hope that it is the start of a call to greater unity within the church because much of the division in the political arena has spilled over into the faith communities across our country. I know that in FPC and in PCW there are people who voted in vastly different ways yesterday. But my prayer is that we may still be able to faithfully and lovingly look one another in the eye and embrace as the sisters and brothers in Christ that we are together. It is only in a spirit of unity that we can truly make a difference in the world in the various arenas of our lives.
In closing, I would like to offer a adapted prayer originally written by Karl Kirkman Jr in the book, Flames of the Spirit. The prayer is entitled, My Prayer After Hearing the Evening News
God, Creator of this spinning globe, peopled by humankind, all of whom you love
hear us on this new day, at the beginning of an era
Forgive us as individuals; forgive us a congregations, as congresses, state departments, presidents, prime ministers, parliaments, as common, ordinary citizens.
Forgive our reliance upon ourselves and our own resources for the management of our disagreements.
Forgive us our dependence on violence for settling our conflicts. God, enter all places in our world where violence replaces reconciliation. God, may hearts and minds be changed.
Change us.
Change us from defenseless to defended, from fearful, to confident
From closed to open
From shaken to courageous
in the risk and work of establishing peace, justice, and equality
Right here,
Over there,
Everywhere.
Amen