Obviously, there were lots of cool moments, and breathtaking camera shots, and I think I teared-up a half-dozen times or so—like most of America, I bet. But the three things that I remember most fondly about yesterday were:
1. The Prayers. Baptist Pastor Rick Warren and United Methodist Rev. Dr Joseph Lowery prayed eloquently, humbly, and spirit-filled-powefully yesterday. The best-selling theologian of evangelical Protestantism and the revered dean of pro-justice mainline Protestantism both made the Body of Christ look winsome to the non-Christian and sometimes scornful atheist world, and their witness brought a tear to my eye. Warren, who humbly ended his invocation in Jesus’ name (which he uttered in Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish & English), also reached across religious divides by using phrases from both Jewish and Muslim prayers, as well as the traditional Lord’s Prayer known to us at Kaw Prairie. And Pastor Lowery lifted up the powerful undertones of African-American spirituality and struggle by quoting the prophet Amos: “Let justice roll down like waters…” I prayed that the Holy Spirit would ride the airwaves and coax-cables of the world, and through these prayers lead people around the globe to faith in the humble rabbi who was God’s Son, Jesus of Nazareth.
2. The National Anthem. My son and I have an intense argument at every sporting event about whether it’s more proper to sing along with the National Anthem, which hardly anybody but his dad seems to do, or keep quiet while the lead singer does all the music, which is clearly the crowd’s choice. I was delighted that President & Mrs. Obama both proudly sang the anthem, and given their current cache of cool, hoped their example might turn local ballpark anthems from being inattentive mumble-fests into proud community anthems gratefully sung by the free and the brave.
3. President Bush. Despite all the criticism that would-be-President Obama had leveled at him, his policies, and his judgment throughout the last campaign, and despite knowing that his legacy and record would be taking a few hits during the new president’s inaugural speech, in all that we could see President Bush conducted himself as a class-act and Christian gentleman all day long. And for those of us who’ve been watching for a while, it was no act; it was his real attitude.
Sure, his 8 years in office created tons of controversy, and it no doubt saddens him that in retrospect, he wasn’t the “uniter” he’d hoped to be, but the “divider” he insisted he wouldn’t be. But when the American people made a decision on his successor, he accepted their judgment to turn toward the other party. Instead of turning bitter and defensive, our President behaved graciously—and resolved to make sure that the transfer of power honored the best of American honor and Christian character.
In a way, he behaved as King David did when he realized that God was not going to give him the honor of building the Temple in Jerusalem—disappointed in an imperfect legacy, but humbled before God’s will, and eager to leave his successor in the best position possible to succeed. So as excited and emotional as I was by the historic Obama presidency, and as delighted by the pragmatic, post-partisan approach to governing he has so far seemed to follow, it was the beaten-up but chin-up President Bush of whom I was most especially proud of yesterday. And best of all, I heard all the “O” keys were still intact on the White House keyboards, too!
1 Chronicles 28:1 David summoned all the officials of Israel to Jerusalem—the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of the army divisions, the other generals and captains, the overseers of the royal property and livestock, the palace officials, the mighty men, and all the other brave warriors in the kingdom. 2 David rose to his feet and said: “My brothers and my people! It was my desire to build a temple where the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, God’s footstool, could rest permanently. I made the necessary preparations for building it, 3 but God said to me, ‘You must not build a temple to honor my name, for you are a warrior and have shed much blood.’ … 9 “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 10 So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work.” 11 Then David gave Solomon the plans for the Temple and its
surroundings...
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