Psalms 133
“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers (and sisters) dwell in unity.”
RSV
As I write this devotional thought in October 2008, we are in the midst of the presidential campaign. In the tradition of being transparent, I must disclose that it is my intention to vote for Barack Obama. I share this fact to give you permission to disregard the rest of this devotional or to move on to the next devotional. I cannot get away from my naiveté, idealism, unrealistic, or deluded state that we as Christians should be able to live together in harmony. For me it is a central teaching of Jesus and one that he was willing to die for.
The political campaign and rhetoric make me sick. I find that it is very divisive and plays upon our fears. Our political process plays to the lowest common denominator. By and large the speeches and the advertisement play to our fear. Obama is a Muslim because his middle name is Hussein. Obama is an Arab because his middle name is Hussein. Obama can’t be trusted. All these misstatements were taken as the truth. It got so bad that at one point during the campaign McCain had to defend Obama as being a “decent” man.
I realize that politics is based on competition. I know that our culture and capitalism are based on competition. It is not a bad thing, but I worry about whether we use competition or if it uses us. I know that there were intense feelings when Obama beat out Clinton for the democratic presidential nomination. Yet I found it interesting to hear the speeches she and her husband gave at the convention and to observe them campaigning for Obama.
We are not going to have unity in our churches, states, or communities until we begin to understand and see the greater good. There is time when a stance I call the “mature adult stance” is appropriate. It is what I see in the Clintons out campaigning for Obama. I know that they have to wish that Hillary instead of Barack were the candidate. For the Clintons putting aside the personal disappointment and campaigning for Barack is an act of intimacy.
That is what makes Jesus so special. It is what makes him a role model for our culture. Instead of moving toward Jesus we appear to be moving away from him. Instead of reaching out to others who are different, we are putting more emphasis on being the same. As an articulate black man Barack Obama does not fit the image that many have projected on him. Jesus also had expectations projected onto him such as “Messiah”, “King” and “Lord”. As Christians we are called not be co-opted by our competitive society but rather hear the message of love and respond to others by seeing what they could be rather than what they are. I would like to see a presidential campaign or a public debate, which is focusing on an intense issue using that paradigm.
Rev. David Johnson
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