As I write this, President Barack Obama has just been sworn in to office as the 44th President of the United States of America. It is an exciting day in the life of our country as another peaceful transition of power unfolds and the Great Experiment continues. It is also an historic day as the first African-American president is inaugurated. I am proud to be an American and hopeful for the future!
No matter what your political party or for whom you voted, this is a hopeful time. If for no other reason than the slate is wiped clean and it is a new beginning. No one knows for sure what an Obama presidency will bring forth, and we cannot foretell the future with regards to events that are yet to come, but we can all come together and face our future in unity. Does that mean there will be no disagreements? Hardly. Healthy disagreement is a hallmark of our nation. But we should all rejoice that there are no riots in the streets, no military coup, and no enemy attack to steal our national unity.
Having said that, as Christians we must always remember that no political party, no government, no president will usher in the Kingdom of God; Barack Obama is NOT the Messiah! George Bush was NOT the Messiah. Only Jesus Christ is the Messiah, and it is to Him alone we trust our faith and future. We cannot allow any politics to usurp the authority of Jesus Christ in our lives. True, we owe allegiance to our country, but only secondarily to our allegiance to God. We are to "give to Caesar" but we are first to "give to God."
So let's embrace hope! Hope is one of the "big three" (faith, hope, and love-1 Cor. 13:13). And let us remember that our hope is in the Lord (Psalm 39:7).
Peace,
Pastor Glen
