I am a little sad the election is over. I will miss the SNL skits with Tina Fey. I will miss all the debates. I will even miss John McCain and his stiffest white man alive demeanor. As I watched the election results last night, however, it was hard not to feel like things have begun to change in our country. I don’t know what that means for our future, but there are changes taking place. Here are some things I have been pondering.
Getting rid of a bad taste in my mouth
The last two elections really made our country look bad. The hanging chad fiasco in 2000 was an international embarrassment. I can remember stories after the Clinton staffers left the White House that they had stolen all of the W’s off of the keyboards there as a sign of protest that they were leaving and Bush of all people was coming in. The 2004 election just felt wrong. Our country felt so divided. The church felt like a pawn in the election machine. The country felt angry, relieved, unsure, broken. I was almost embarrassed by the church in the 2004 election, not because so many voted for Bush, but because we seemed so eager to believe that it was our role as the church to stump so hard for a candidate because he was a Christian and we were willing to overlook a lot of tough questions because of his faith. The church just seemed used in 2004.
Last night, that sense of division and distrust just felt lessened. The country seemed more hopeful. The country also seemed far less divided. Christians could not be identified as a singular vote used by a party for its means, not Gods. Christians weren’t single issue voters. I am sure the numbers will show that evangelicals still largely supported McCain, but there wasn’t a sense that the parties had determined the role the Christians would play in this election. I had good friends, intelligent, committed, dedicated disciples of Christ who really believed in and supported both candidates and some who intentionally did not vote as an act of discipleship. That made me hopeful. It made me hopeful that we are engaging, passionately in our role in this country and how we can live out our faith
Worship and Unity
One thing that really struck me last night, in the concession speech and the acceptance speech, was the sense that people were willing to lay aside there differences because they were unified by the flag. McCain was incredibly gracious in his speech, pointing people to the higher priority of recognizing the wishes of the people and how that is the backbone of our country. He recognized his continuing role moving forward and he need for unity. Obama in the same way talked about all the things that unify us as a people.
Here is the thing though, if our political parties can truly do this, acknowledge a higher calling that unifies them in service to a greater call, why can’t the church do the same thing. The celebration in Chicago felt like a worship service didn’t it? With an opening prayer, a worship song (National worship song that is), a creed (the pledge of allegiance) and a sermon it had all the elements. Those are the things that unite as Americans, a common text that defines us (the Constitution), a creed, songs of celebration, and a common purpose. How much more so, then as the church, are we united by far greater means. We are united not by words of men but by the Word of God. We are united not by a pledge to a flag but by picking up our cross. We are united not by a song of independence but by songs of submission and worship. We are united not by belief in a man to lead us but by a savior who has redeemed us.
Maybe this election can be a time of hope and change for the church, not just for the country. Maybe seeing the change of a culture and a nation can inspire the church to change by setting aside our incessant need to find our differences and to highlight them and to celebrate them and to mock each other and disdain each other over them and instead celebrate all that unifies us. That would show the world true hope for change.
