May 2008

“I am excited about your future!”

Many years ago, Harry Emerson Fosdick celebrated national preacher and pastor of the Riverside Church in New York City wrote a book entitled: “A Great Time to be Alive: Sermons on Christianity in Wartime!”  In a sermon of the same title Emerson spoke of the horrors of war and its devastating effects upon humanity.  But he also spoke of the tremendous opportunities that war affords nations and individuals to make noble decisions about the future of the world.  How appropriate is this sermon for the times in which we live.  Considering the enormous challenges that we face in these times one may conclude that this is a difficult and dreadful time to be alive.  But I want to remind us all that this is a tremendous time for us to make our greatest contribution to the future of humanity.  We know that war is hell, the economy is on the ropes, morale has never been lower but the human spirit has never been more resilient when it comes to facing these challenges and making the future brighter.

Whenever we have been faced with the reality of the worse in life, it has always been countered with the fact of the best in life.  In times like these that which is charitable and heroic in people always overtakes that which is degrading and inhumane in people.  We must never forget that greatness is hammered out on the anvil of struggle and crisis.  How many times have we heard it said that diamonds are mined from coal, pearls are harvested from oysters and only when it is darkest can we see the stars?  This is a great time to be alive because we have the potential to make the future much better for generations yet unborn.  We do have the potential to live in peace with persons in other countries.  We have the potential to change our thinking about economic waste and corporate greed.  We have the potential to change our attitude about energy and the environment.  All of these possibilities depend on our willingness to face the challenges of the moment.

We are presently in midst of a highly contested race for the highest office in the land, the Presidency of the United States.  In recent days and weeks this contest has taken a somewhat ugly turn.  Whatever our opinion about political contests this has been one for the history books.  We will long remember the Presidential Race of 2008.  A veteran of war, a man of African ancestry and a woman all believe that they are the best hope for moving this nation forward.  We must pray for guidance, wisdom and understanding in the days that lie ahead.  Regardless of the outcome, we must all believe that we have a role to play in making this world and this nation a peaceful and decent place in which to live and work and dream. 

I echo the words of Harry Emerson Fosdick it is a great time to be alive because it is a great time to pray, and work for a future that is better than anything that we are experiencing right now.  This is our task.  This is our hope.  Let’s get to it. 

“Keep Living Up!”

Mad Love.

Carolyn Ann Knight