A United Methodist Pastor's Theological Reflections

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory (nikos) through our Lord Jesus Christ." - I Corinthians 15:57


Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Inauguration Day Reflections

Wow! What a euphoric day (regardless of our politic party leanings!) Mostly, I think it's a good thing to sense renewed positive energy in our country but there's a part of me that is more cautious due to the tremendous challenges that our new President now faces.

The day for me began with our weekly church staff meeting in the chapel. Together, we offered our prayers for the new President which included a lengthy and meaningful scripted prayer that I came across on the beliefnet website.

I missed the actual oath part of the ceremony, and found it interesting that the Judge and the President didn't quite get the order of the wording correct. While wanting the day to be flawless, perhaps this awkward and very noticeable misstep is a reminder that it's futile to expect everything to go as planned.

Painful memories of calling a baby to be baptized by the wrong gender pronoun and calling a bride by the groom's first name come to mind! (I won't share all of my foibles but these will do for now!)

Nevertheless, it's a historical day for our country and the world is watching us closely.
One final reflection - the benediction given at the ceremony was amazing. Wow!

President Obama, if you read my blog, here are my words for you this day:

"May God surround and keep you strong as you seek to advance peace and justice throughout the world."

1 comment:

Naomi said...

This is such a proud day in our history! I am already pleased with America trying to rebuild its reputation. However, I believe the real test is on the American people as we step up to the plate and make sacrifices to better our country.