All the hoopla!

I know people think that this presidential inauguration day is the most exciting in the history of the country, but folks, I'm here to tell you that I've lived through two other such events in my lifetime, and I'm sure there are folks older than I who could say they've lived through three. And I can guarantee that baring the return of our Lord, there will be another day like this.

First, the TV thing and school children watching the inauguration address that's been broadcast far and wide, I'm here to tell you that is NOT a new thing. So, I don't understand all the hoopla about that. I mean don't the media know ANY history at all. Don't they even recall watching such events when they were in school, or had the school system gotten so bad that even current history wasn't part of a child's education?

I recall listening to Dwight David Eisenhower's Addresses, both of them, and then I recall WATCHING the inauguration of John F. Kennedy. If I remember correctly, however, it happened on a snow day, but we were scheduled to watch the event in both US history class, and English class. We didn't have TVs in every room back then, but there were a few and they figured most of us would be able to view the historic inauguration (back then all inaugurations were historic) in one of our classes.

So, I recall that after World War II, Mr. Truman was president, but the country was recovering from a war-time economy and the men who returned from that war were buying homes and cars and the country was ready for CHANGE. Sound familiar? Gen. Eisenhower was the Republican selection and the country went wild. After all he was a war hero, the General who initiated D-Day and started us on our way to ending WWII. DDE had charisma and people just loved him. I recall the news people saying that he was the hero who would dig the country out of the mire it was in because of the post-war "recession". He was the media darling back then and there was a lot of hoopla around his inauguration.

The next President who had probably the biggest fanfare I can recall (prior to Pres. Obama) was JFK. He was, after all the first Catholic president. I never could figure out what was so great about that, but apparently it was something to have someone in office that was a religion other than Protestant. And the parade, the speech, and the beautiful wife only added to the aura around his popularity. It was some day, that day, much like today. A long parade, lots of speeches, the media taking up the whole day with nonsensical stories about his life up to that day.

But one thing missing from both those inaugurations: there was no "savior" complex embedded into everything the men said or did. They were, after all, just men, and the electorate realized that. While there was HOPE for CHANGE after these men were placed in office, there was a realization that there would be bumps along the way. And we also knew back then that God was in control (although some Protestants thought the end was near!) and in Him was our hope, our peace, and our salvation.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if people realized that today. Our ONLY salvation is Christ our Lord. Our only PEACE comes through having him as our SAVIOR. With Christ as our SAVIOR we have HOPE for eternity and his glorious return.

ttfn