Bishop's article from the January/February 2009 Making Christ Known

January 20, 2009

I am deeply affected by the historical significance of the election of Senator Barack Obama as President of the United States. I have lived through some significant events in my 58 years, such as the assassinations of President Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon, the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, and the terrorist attack of September 11. But I don’t think that many experiences will make the impact on me like the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States.
 

I believe it is all about hope. Hope, in the future of America based upon the belief and practice that all people are created equal. Hope, that we are finally ushering in a new era where a person “will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” (from Dr. King’s speech). Hope, that we can stop emphasizing our differences, whether they are red state or blue state, Jew or Gentile, black or white, male or female, gay or straight, and instead begin to see that God has woven us together in one great tapestry (or, for Lutherans, a quilt!).
 

Now I know that on January 20, 2009, racism will not magically disappear in America or anywhere else in the world for that matter. Yet this historical event is a sign of progress. “Yes we can.” It marks a light at the end of the tunnel, and it is a cool drink in a long, long journey.
 

So, at our next Northern Illinois Synod Council meeting, we will again have a session of anti-racism training, as we have been doing every January for many years. But this year we will be a little less pessimistic about our progress and a little more optimistic about the future, for we have both much to hope for and about which to give thanks.
 

In Christ,

Bishop Gary Wollersheim

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