Every Thanksgiving, I begin a personal process (that tends to remain completely personal, sharing it with no one) of collecting a mental list of the things for which I am thankful. I carry this list with me through the Holidays right up until New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Eve or so, I find some quiet time to reflect on those things with a particular emphasis on the things that are specifically connected with the past year. For example, this past year Jeanette said, “Yes!” when I asked her to marry me – I will be forever thankful about that, but particularly thankful this year.
Much like the “thanksgiving” of Jeanette saying yes, most of my thanksgivings are fairly personal. This Thanksgiving though, I am also thankful for something that is both personal and national at the same time. No matter what side of the political perspective you fall, the election of the first African-American as the President of “the most powerful nation in the world” is a milestone that we see very few of in a given lifetime. For me it is particularly remarkable to reflect on it and, yes, be thankful about during Thanksgiving in the US.
Galatians 3:38 – “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” That's the goal, the vision, of heaven on earth - the Kingdom of God come. It takes seriously the understanding that God created us all equally. Unfortunately, that has not always been the history of the US - or any other nation for that matter.
Which brings us back to my thanksgiving reflection on the historical and theological significance of electing Obama President. Supposedly the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 by the Pilgrims and their Native American neighbors (although there is debate of this). The picture that is presented of this is one of harmony and goodwill. Plymouth Rock, the reported landing place of the first Pilgrims, however has been used as the symbol to point to some less than harmonious (and less than Christian) parts of U.S. history.
Since 1970 a group of Native American have used Plymouth Rock on Thanksgiving as a way to protest the historical treatment of Native Americans in the US - it has become known as "The National Day of Mourning." Possibly the most famous words uttered about Plymouth Rock were those of Malcom X, "We didn't land on Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Rock landed on us." The point is, harmony between the peoples of the US, equality, has not always been our strongest quality even though, biblically, it should be.
The election of President Obama gives me hope that we are slowly leaving that kind of behavior behind in the US. This isn't about which political party won, it is about a milestone not only in US history but in the lives of those who have been marginalized in one way or the other - and, yes, even in the lives of those who have not. Paul encouraged Christians toward this type of behavior, toward valuing all people for who they are or as one of my personal heroes put it, judging people not by "the color of there skin, but by the content of their character." Paul (and Dr. King for that matter) was trying to tell us, that freedom, real freedom, comes from recognizing that the God in me is the same as the God in you.
President Kennedy (another of my heroes) said, "Our most basic common link, is that we all inhabit this small planet, we breath the same air, we all charish our children's future, and we are all mortal." It was that common link, that essential same-ness, that Paul was trying to get us to see. It is part of what inspired Kennedy to proclaim that, "imposed upon [the US is] the role of leader in freedom's call." Given that, for we Christians, freedom, real freedom, is recognizing that the God in me is the same as the God in you, it would seem that in the election of Obama we have made another bold step in the direction of being a "leader in freedom's call." Given that real freedom means, "there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female," we have a distance yet to go.
I am deeply and spiritually grateful this Thanksgiving for the bold statement we have made as a nation. I hope that we take the charge of Paul, and King, and Kennedy and (in the words of Simone de Beauvoir) insure that the existence of "every human life [is] pure transparent freedom," so that no child ever feels like they are less loved, less cared for or less valuable than any other - so that everyone knows they are important, so that everybody knows they are great.
I am thankful that he was elected, I am hopeful that he will take the words of Jesus to heart and see that in order for us all be great, we each must be a servant, even the President - a servant of all. Dr. King put it best in one of my favorite sermons, "The Drum Major Instinct," "And so Jesus gave us the new norm of greatness. If you want to be important - wonderful. If you want to be recognized - wonderful. If you want to be great - wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's the new definition of greatness."
I'll conclude this reflection by sharing with you the final words of "The Drum Major Instinct," because if we all could live out a life like Dr. King hoped he would, we would all truly have something for which to be thankful. (Mister President, I hope you are listening somewhere out there):
"If I can help somebody as I pass along,
If I can cheer somebody with a word or song,
If I can show somebody he's traveling wrong,
Then my living will not be in vain.
If I can do my duty as a Christian ought,
If I can bring salvation to a world once wrought,
If I can spread the message as the master taught,
Then my living will not be in vain.
Yes, Jesus, I want to be on your right or your left side, not for any selfish reason. I want to be on your right or your left side, not in terms of some political kingdom or ambition. But I just want to be there in love and in justice and in truth and in commitment to others, so that we can make of this old world a new world."
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