Change Is Here

I stayed up long enough last night to hear NBC call the election for Barrack Obama at 11:00 p.m. It is certainly a historic moment in our country's brief history. I will be in Philadelphia later today at Palmer Seminary where most of the students are African-American Pastors from in and around Center City Philly. I am anxious to hear and see their perspective on the outcome of the election.
There is a lot of hope riding on Obama's presidency. It is a good thing to have hope. But we must remember that Obama is human, and that Obama has to work with the House and the Senate...both of which are filled with, ah, fallen people. There are several things that I hope will happen when Obama takes office in January.

1. I hope the new president will stop the culture of war that the Bush administration focused on. The Bush administration was quick to call nations 'evil' and created an "us" vs. "them" mentality. I hope that Obama will use every available diplomatic means and extend olive branches rather than weapons. The Bible speaks of loving our neighbors, and that includes our global neighbors.
2. I hope the Obama administration will tackle the issue of poverty and injustice in our country and around the world. I could write more, but certainly the world economic crisis is one area, the situation in Sudan (Darfur region), and others areas.
3. I hope that the Obama administration will go beyond party politics and create a spirit of unity in our nations government and in our nation.

Yeah, all of these (and plenty of other areas) are tall task. But not impossible ones. I also hope that we will pray for the Barrack and the other leaders of our nations that they will lead with honor, integrity, and love.