A Fresh Perspective - 11/14/08
A "defining moment" has indeed been reached in American life by the election of our first African-American president. One commentator remarked that even the "least gracious" among us should be appreciative of how far we have come.
There were echoes of Martin Luther King, Jr. in President Elect Obama's acceptance speech. Amidst all the rhetoric and criticisms that mark political campaigns from both sides of the political spectrum, Obama has emphasized two words over and over: "change" and "hope."
These two words are gospel words, key concepts in our Christian vocabulary. But even more important is the Christian word "love." In writing to the churches in Galatia who were divided over the place of the Torah in Christian life, Paul says: "In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that really matters is faith expressing itself through love" (5:6).
Love is foundational to everything else. There is no "good news" without it. Without love the gospel degenerates into cold, oppressive religion, which does more harm than good.
All of life is movement; it involves transition and change. We are either pushing God away by choosing not to love, or we are drawing near to God by choosing to love. When we act in love we align ourselves with God's redeeming, healing purpose in the world. When self or ego pervades our actions, then we close ourselves off to God's liberating power.
Many years ago a rather affluent, but frugal widow decided to have her house wired for electricity when it was first made available in her small Kentucky town. After a month or two a representative from the Electric Company called her to see if there were any problems. Her electric meter indicated almost no usage at all. She explained that she turned on her lights in the evening only long enough to light her candles, and then she turned them off.
The power was available to her, but she rarely accessed it. We have been wired by our Creator to love. God's transformative power is unleashed in us and through us when we choose to love in thought, word, and deed.
The seed for an authentic human existence - a life rich and abundant in purpose and meaning (what John's Gospel identifies as "eternal life") - is within us. When we choose to love that seed can take root and flourish.