Bidden or Not God is Present

Kelly Fryer writes a entry on her blog about the differing theologies at play in our two political parties. It echoes the conversations my husband and I had this weekend following the debate. I know I said I was going to stay away from politics but I just can't...I care too much and on some level it is like watching a car accident. I tell myself I am going to just offer up my prayers and blessings and keep driving, but I always, always turn my head to look at what is going on. So, it is with politics.

Kelly writes:

In Iraq,for example, McCain says, we're going to win, win, win!!!!! (sorry, again)

Obama says we need to make sure we're not spending the lives of our young men and women unwisely.

McCain says, the mothers of the dead soldiers are counting on us!!!!!

Obama says, yes, I know.

A lot of pundits are asking "is America ready to elect a black man president?"

I'm wondering: Are we ready for a Lutheran? (Even a Lutheran-wanna-be??)

Can we handle paradox?

Can we manage to be both bold and humble?

Are we willing to let God be God?

She nails it for me.

In the debate, as I watched Sen. McCain get passionate about one thing and one thing only...battle, war, and defining who is 'good' and who is 'bad'...I was frightened. And annoyed. Mind you it was a foreign policy debate so war is bound to be part of the conversation, but when the idea of talking to someone else became just ludicrous to him--it solidified for me why I am being driven slowly mad by he and his running mate. In their world and in many (good grief apparently, most) theologies, a person is either 'good' or 'bad.' The idea that everyone is in fact--saint and sinner, healing and broken, wrong and right, certain and full of questions, wounded and the wound-er--just isn't how they construct the world. I don't know if it doesn't ring true to their own self or if it has never been presented to them or if it just not as much fun as being on the "winning" side.


Well, in other news, the kids are awake, and screaming, so any shred of coherent sentences that may be in my brain have shut down.

I read this comment over on The Paris Project blog and it rang so true with much of what is bugging me....it is on motherhood, but the sentence gets at the heart of what may be the problem.

"I'd find something to complain about, no matter the circumstance; because really, what I battle against is my own frustration with a world not yet made perfect." By Sharon in the comment section.

Come, Lord Jesus...Come.


p.s The opening SNL skit was dead on funny again this week...but I'm not posting it for fear of what the masses may do to me.