January 20, 2009
Dear St. Paul’s Family,
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
“We shall fight on the beaches...we shall fight in the fields and in the streets...we shall never surrender.”
“Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country.”
When Time magazine published its list of the greatest political speeches in history, it wasn’t surprising to see the inaugural addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and John F. Kennedy among them. They were their first words to people eager to hear their visions for the future, and anxious to be lifted out of their current crises. At noon eastern today, 5 billion people around the world will watch Barack Obama become our 44th President, and he will have the same anticipated stage, the same captivated attention.
Years ago, Wang Chien-Chuang, president of The Journalist magazine, wrote that there are a few key ingredients to every successful political speech.
1. You need a good speechwriter.
2. The speech must be delivered before the backdrop of some great national crisis.
3. It has to include a substantial declaration of policies.
In tracking every great political speech, it seems that Mr. Chien-Chuang’s criteria is sound. And history will determine how President Obama’s first address to the nation will meet those standards.
In anticipation of today, I thought about another stirring inaugural address. Not widely considered to be a political speech, Jesus’ first sermon was his opening remarks to a people immersed in a politically-charged time:
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’
So, how does, Jesus’ speech rank, according to the same criteria?
1. First, you need a good speechwriter.
For his speechwriter, Jesus chose the prophet Isaiah, the most significant name to the Jewish people in the previous 600 years. The mere mention of his name would have conjured feelings of solemn reverence and obedience to God. He had spoken to them in times of national crisis and comforted them with a vision of hope for the future. For imagery, poetry, substance, and style, Jesus could not have selected a better wordsmith.
2. Second, the speech should be delivered before the backdrop of some great national crisis.
It was not World War II Britain, the Great Depression, or the Civil Rights Movement, but it was indeed a time of great turmoil. When Jesus stepped before the congregation in that synagogue, his was a world immersed in crisis. The Jewish people had become unwilling pawns in a global power game, ruled by the Babylonians, the Persians, the Seleucids, the Hasmoneans, the Greeks, and now, Rome. And worse then their political persecution, they were in spiritual crisis. Where was God in all of this? Where was the faithfulness of the God they believed in?
When Jesus began his public ministry, he did not come when it was most convenient and most comfortable. The world was at its most dangerous, and the situation was at its most precarious.
3. It has to include a substantial declaration of policies.
Great speeches not only have style, but they also have substance. Not only a broadly-stroked vision, but a summons to specifics. So what constituted Jesus’ plan for action?
The poor in the community will hear good news.
Those who are held captive will be released.
The blind will be able to see again.
The oppressed will be set free.
God’s favor will be proclaimed to all the people.
And then, in the boldest moment in the entire speech, Jesus sat down and delivered his FDR/JFK line:
“Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Suddenly, Jesus’ address transcended mere political rhetoric and future-oriented optimism. He dared to claim that the promise of tomorrow was fulfilled in the present.
Whereas most figures can only make promises and hope to keep them, or share visions and hope to see them made real, Jesus boldly proclaimed that all these things had already happened! And, they have happened through Jesus’ mere presence among them. Before Jesus did any miracles, spoke any teaching, or called any disciples, Jesus said, “The Scripture has been fulfilled”. The work is as good as finished. You need not wait any longer, because God has arrived. Forget about the “New Deal.” Jesus spoke of a Done Deal.
Over the next four years, we will follow the actions of this new administration, gauging its results against its promises. We will see whether we are making economic progress in a time of financial collapse, and forging pockets of peace in a milieu of war. We will watch unemployment numbers, global financial markets, and people without health care.
Along the way, we remember as Christians that our primary evaluative standard lies not in a campaign pledg, but in the vision outlined by Jesus 2,000 years ago, of which we can expect to be made real today.
Will the poor hear good news?
Will those held captive find release?
Will those blinded by darkness rediscover their sight?
And will every oppressed person everywhere claim freedom?
May these questions constitute our prayers for this country and for people around the world. That today, indeed, they might be fulfilled in our hearing.
Grace, Peace, and Hope,
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org
WORSHIP THIS SUNDAY
Join us for worship as we continue our “Life’s Three Big Questions” series with a sermon focusing on who we are as a people of the Word. It will center on our common identity in Christ and anchored in the words of Scripture. The text is John 1:1-14, and if you missed picking up a Scripture bookmark, they are available in the church office.
LEADERSHIP EVENT
All people elected to serve on a committee for 2009 are invited to a special leadership gathering at the church on Saturday, January 24, from 9am – 12pm. It will be a time of organizing ourselves for the upcoming year and aligning our work around the new 2020 Vision Plan. Sarah Stevens, our Field Outreach Minister for the district, will also be sharing with us some insights about the nature of church leadership. Please let the office know of your attendance by Wednesday, January 21.
ST. PAUL’S IN THE NEWS
In case you missed the nice article about the church in last Monday’s edition of the Cherokee Chronicle, you can follow this link: http://www.chronicletimes.com/story/1492683.html.
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