The Rev. Don Bremer of the First United Methodist Church of New Smyrna Beach summed up the inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama this way Sunday: "In a free land, in a Democracy, anything is possible."
Amen to that.
How ironic is it that Obama's inauguration comes one day after the national holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Forty years after an assassin's bullet cut King's life short, America celebrates the inauguration of its first African-American president. How often have we heard in our lifetimes that America is not ready for a black president? Remember in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, the refrain that it would probably happen sometime in the 21st century?
Well, here we are in 2009, two months removed from the historic election of Obama over a worthy opponent and war hero in John McCain. Not since Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton has the country been so revved up about a new president and the opportunity for a fresh start.
For some reason, what Bremer said Sunday impressed me so much that I wrote down some notes on an offering envelope with a pencil. While the opportunities for new and exciting things come with the inauguration, there is one constant, one superceding entity that never changes: "With all the changes in the world, you, oh Lord, are always the same -- yesterday, today and tomorrow. Where you lead us is always good, where you lead us is always freedom, where you lead us is always love."
So as we celebrate and welcome our new president, let us remember the Lord's guiding hands. God bless America and the world over.