Change.
Posted November 5th, 2008 by James Lepard
I went to church last night. I know it seems odd church on a Tuesday. What is even odder is I went to church for 6 hours straight and didn't fidget a bit! I didn't cringe at the hymns, I didn't think about what I'd have for breakfast the next morning.
I was in church. Maybe not the church you're thinking of. There was no choir, there were no bulletins, there were no prayers but I prayed for 6 hours, I prayed so hard and was so inspired that in the end tears rolled down my face, and all I could say was, ‘thank God, thank God." Then I turned off the television, kissed my children good night with a God bless you, got into bed with my love and whispered quietly, " he won, he won". Last night I went to sleep grateful; grateful for having gone to church. Grateful for the privilege of witnessing the testimony of the multitudes, the millions of God's children around the world who witnessed hope born into the world.
Maybe you were in church Tuesday night along with a few of my other billion friends. Perhaps you woke up feeling a new sense of hope and possibilities after witnessing the historical, miraculous event of Barack Hussein Obama being overwhelmingly declared president of the United States of America. Perhaps like me you were moved as you watched the ten's of thousand's in the congregation sway back and forth on the lawn at Grant Park in Chicago. Brothers and sisters we were at church!
We witnessed the triumph of a campaign that was distinguished by an unshakeable strategy of Hope. A campaign concentrated on building up and inspiring all people rather than dividing us and preaching to our fear. Obama's campaign focused on what could be and not what's wrong with what is. There is a new spirit unleashed upon the planet today-it is a new world, a better world.
The road to hope and the kindom of God is long as Martin Luther King said but the arch of God's world leans towards justice and grace. I feel the world has just leaned in a little closer today.
I woke up this morning wondering how we can be church? Church like it was on Tuesday night. For many of us we know the Sunday morning is broken. God knows it's broken, broken and tired want more proof, go to a presbytery meeting.
But in the last 24 hours the world has changed I wonder if our churches, our spiritual communities are capable of that change? Can we stop lamenting what is wrong with our church, can we get out of our little box's that serve to keep the lid on the spirit. Are we willing to stop the endless meetings and committees and task forces that consider ministry is about shuffling the deck chairs but don't really change anything.
Are we the church that began as a movement that leaned towards hope and love and compassion and justice and life? A world is aching for change, for hope, for love, for life, for inspiration, for justice. Now is the time how can we the church learn to lean towards the life that God's kindom offers? YES WE CAN!
