Barack Obama is only a man
On Monday night, Saturday Night Live replayed a bunch of skits from the season. There was John McCain, Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton, maybe Joe Biden too. I can’t remember if he made an appearance. Lots of dead pan humor and over-all silliness. Who knew McCain had comic timing?
Then Barack Obama came on the screen.
The thing that struck me was the reaction of the two SNL cast members. Suddenly, their demeanor changed like they were in the presence of greatness. The audience roared its approval when a mask-wearing Obama revealed himself. The actors almost bowed in reverence. And Obama basked in his moment.
That’s the same type of reaction I witnessed last night when I watched thousands of people crammed in that Chicago park. CNN showed close-ups of the people’s faces - the tears, the joy, the happiness their candidate won. (If McCain had won, I bet I would have jumped for joy too, because it would’ve been a miracle).
Perhaps it was tears of relief and satisfaction. Finally! Acceptance. I can only imagine the pain of the African American community, since as a lily-white English/Irish girl, I have no idea what racial prejuice is like.
But I suspect that’s not why the crowd was so jubilant.
Friends, they are depending on Obama to do something the man can’t do.
Peace. Prosperity. The answer to all their problems.
We Christians know Obama is only a man who can’t be the answer these people crave. He may be able to help our country unite, fix the messed up economy and command respect from world leaders, but ultimately he will not be able to satisfy.
Barak Obama is not the answer to all of our country’s problems.
What I saw on CNN last night made me sad. Those people are eager to trust and believe, longing for someone to lift them up. Obama is only a human man. He needs God’s help and wisdom to govern, he needs our prayers. Our country needs our prayers too.
Obama is not our savior. Who will tell his followers about Jesus?
Tags: Jesus Christ, politics
11.5.08 at 4:27 pm
karla comments:
“Barak Obama is not the answer to all of our country’s problems.
What I saw on CNN last night made me sad. Those people are eager to trust and believe, longing for someone to lift them up. Obama is only a human man.”
****************
I hear that a lot, and I understand where it comes from; it might even be true for some in that crowd. But if I’d been in that crowd you might have seen a silent, awe-inspired countenance of hopefulness in me, too. Not because Obama is our savior. That’s nonsense. But because he has the skillfulness and the gentle, inspiring demeanor to bring out the best in us and get us together at the same table. That’s not to be sneezed at.
Reasonable folks might disagree, but what I sense and have great hope for in Obama harkens back to a message that was to the effect of “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Or, perhaps closer for this man and this time, “ask what you can dare to hope to accomplish when you walk arm in arm with your neighbor…what can we accomplish together?”
I may be disappointed. Oh heck, I almost certainly will be disappointed. But then every politician I’ve ever seen has made unkeepable promises. But I won’t lose hope yet.
Of course he’s not my savior; the degree of my hope in/for him is what I sense is an ability to appropriately (humanly!) lead a diverse nation and set a tone that encourages and mobilizes people to work together. I do indeed have a silent, awestruck face of hopefulness, while my “real” hope of course continues to lie in my savior, the only place deserving of such hope. I don’t think I’m alone in that potentially misinterpreted facial reaction. (?) Just something to wonder aloud about, I guess.
Peace!
11.6.08 at 12:45 pm
Alexis comments:
Beautifully written. Sometimes I think we put too much faith on humanly figures and not enough on the man who can save us all –– Jesus Christ.
Alexiss last blog post..Congrats Angier Bulldogs
11.13.08 at 2:48 am
Donna comments:
I’m amazed at how people seem ever ready to deify a human.
Ex. All bad things were George W’s fault.
How could he, a mere man, be responsible for so many things, in so many places, and all at the same time? He’s not omnipresent.
Now on the flip of that, we have a large group of people who think one mere man, can solve all these problems.
These men cannot possibly have these God-like attributes.
11.13.08 at 3:51 am
greenthum comments:
The followers of Obama see in him only what they want to see just as the followers of Jesus did. And when he disappointed them they crucified him.
11.13.08 at 1:20 pm
Kelly comments:
Some say Obama “has an ability to lead a diverse nation and has set a tone that encourages and mobilizes people to work together”! I heard it differently. I moment I realized this man was indeed going to be the democratic nominee I started to listen to who he is. I heard his pastor say terrible things about white folks in this country and I heard Obama say “my church isn’t any different than any other church” and I heard him say he respected this pastor for 20 years and that he was his mentor too. I heard his nice wife say this is a mean country and for the first time in her adult life she is proud to be an American. After a while she changed that too saying I love this country! Oh the hunger coming from her mouth was amazing. Obama has friends who are salty questionable characters TO SAY THE LEAST. Many simply don’t understand what they have done by electing this individual to the highest office in the land. Of course now his special friend Rahm Emmanuel says all kids 18-25 years old will spend 3 months helping out this country in a civil service type situation no matter if they have kids or have to work etc. When asked that question Emmanuel said tough luck. Check out worldnetdaily.com for video of this man talking about this plan him and Obama have for the very people that voted him into office. Obama denied knowing most of his “friends in low places”. There is something very very very wrong with this whole picture. However, I know God Almighty is in charge and has allowed this individual to step into this whole presidential situation for a reason. Peace will only come when Christ returns.