On This Moment

After the election of Sen. Barack Obama as the next president of the United States of America, I was in shock. My faith calls me to pray for those in leadership (1 Timothy 2:1-2) and this election was a moment that required reflection and expression. So I woke the next morning, prayed, and wrote the following words. I submitted them to the local newspaper and they were printed later as a guest column.

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African-American laureate, Langston Hughes, once penned, “What happens to a dream deferred?” For nearly two generations, those who believe in social equality and civil rights have repeated this refrain. They have been referring to the vision they heard from the lips of the martyred dreamer Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. over forty years ago. True, America has taken important steps since, but it has also seen it’s prisons accept more black men than it’s colleges, allowed (and defended) unequal pay for women, and witnessed the world lose respect for it’s way of life. Throughout this journey, the question has lingered for many, “What happened to the dream?” In the last two years, we have experienced an answer to their quandary. With the candidacy and now the victory of Barack Obama as President-elect of the United States of America, a dream long deferred has been revived.

In this, "our moment", details of Obama's policies and promises are secondary. True, his victory is sobered by many relevant issues that he must address; energy independence, economic accountability, national/international security. But for many, those issues are sat aside for this brief moment. Ultimately, time and history will determine the final verdict of his presidency. For now, we all should reflect on what it took to get here; the marches, sit-ins, struggles, and quiet protests in classrooms and boardrooms that have created this opportunity for our nation. To every American who has sought this dream, this presidency is partly yours. All those Americans who have confronted their own prejudices in the hopes that one day the content of one’s character would outweigh the color of their skin. All those Americans who have succeeded against the invisible and visible barriers of discrimination. All those Americans who have raised their children with the simple faith that ‘anything is possible’. This election is your dream fulfilled.

Rev. King’s eyes would undoubtedly be filling with tears if he were with us. His sacrifice is a little more redemptive now. Along with King, all Americans who work for freedom and equality share in this remarkable triumph. This campaign will be remembered and revered. The keepers of history will honor the day when people from the cascades of Oregon to the plains of Iowa to the shores of Virginia flooded the ballot box for a dream. Americans are swelling with pride in their country and themselves as they realize they are witnessing, and making, history. Simply put, a dream deferred does not die, run, nor rot. When it is fueled by faith and action, it can happen. And when it happens, how beautiful it is.



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Lord, let us pray that this moment produces change in attitudes and relations. Let us find in ourselves the courage to instigate change in our communities and families. Let this administration be the sounding bell for all those who desire equality, service, and unity. We rest in the assurance that you have chosen this moment and will empower us to reach our potential as people. In Jesus' name, Amen.





Praising,



j.a.g.






1 Timothy 2:1-2

1I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.