He shouldn’t have gone out in the ice storm on that cold day in 1841 even for his own inauguration as President of the United States, and certainly not without hat or coat. And he shouldn’t have given a ponderous 8,495-word inaugural address that took almost two hours to deliver. But sixty-eight-year-old Henry Harrison did, developed pneumonia, and died a month later, holding the term of that office for the shortest span in history. He accomplished nothing of what he aspired to in his address.
I have often wondered what it must be like to be inaugurated into some high office, say, that of Prime Minister or President, and to know that you had a limited amount of time in which to accomplish something of significance.
The inauguration of a President of the United States, for instance, is an opportunity for a whole nation, and other nations of interest, to take an accounting of all the problems that need to be fixed and the new initiatives to be taken. How would you prevent being overwhelmed by all that needed attention? Wouldn’t high-minded words of lofty aspirations seem like so much wishful thinking?
Maybe that’s why some inaugurations have been extraordinarily simple, such as Thomas Jefferson’s talk before a few close friends indoors before he retired to Conrad’s Tavern to eat his dinner alone. Or the party at the White House at Andrew Jackson’s big day with common folks breaking crystal, muddying the carpets, and spitting tobacco juice on the floor.
George Washington’s first inaugural address focused simply on two things: his own inadequacies for the task of presidential office and the importance of acknowledging the providence of God and the necessity of God’s guidance for the future. His second inaugural address was just 135 words long and took two minutes to deliver.
One has to be careful what one promises to accomplish. Which makes Jesus’ promises of what he would accomplish–salvation for human beings–stunning.
If christos, meaning Anointed One (messhiach, Messiah, in Hebrew), is an office of sorts, what was Jesus claiming to accomplish when he let people conclude that he was exactly that Anointed One?
The human race knew that he was coming. He simply had to, being the kind of God that he is. He is good, and he is great. He must have some escape route for us, some healing power for our misery.
To hear that “God became flesh” is at once one of the most shocking claims you will ever hear, and one of the most obvious. We knew that he was coming because he is a saving kind of God.
[Exerpt from Putting the Pieces Back Together: How Real Life and Real Faith Connect. Click for More.]
Get a free copy of the E-booklet “Living a God-Filled Life” when you sign up for Mel Lawrenz’s weekly article, The Brook Letter.
We’d love to have you join us on Facebook or follow on Twitter.
Please explain to me how you — and 95% of Christendom — make the reference you did in your
devotional that Jesus Christ is God? Christ himself said God the Father is greater and Christ
said the Father was His God along with His apostles’ God (John 14:28, 20:17). I believe, in
accordance with the scriptures, where God promised that IF WE ACCEPT HIS SON AS THE
PROPITIATION OF OUR SINS, MAKE HIM OUR LORD AND SAVIOR AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS AND BELIEVE THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, WE WILL BE
SAVED. We are accepting the ONLY escape from sin and death that exists: God’s SON; this is
God’s grace given freely through our faith and acceptance. God bless.
Thanks,
Henry
I think that we, who have accepted the truth that Jesus is fully God and yet fully Man and that all governmental authority was placed on His shoulders, brings such comfort and steadfastness to our spirits that it matters not what the world believes, thinks or says. Jesus covenanted with us, which is more than mere promises or lip service that Earthly government officials “promise” in their inaugural speeches and throughout their terms in office, so we can trust completely every promise in His Word. He is the Word – alive, still creating and still wanting us to be His hands and feet on the Earth to capture others and bring them to a place where the Holy Spirit can confirm the Truth that will set them free. What an honour. Thank you Lord.
I enjoyed the reading but the end did not have enough meat and substance to it
I was looking for a more powerful ending People today and even christians do
not fully have the concept of who God really is Do they really know him and live
accordingly or are they just Sunday christians { LOOK AT THE WAY OUR
COUNTRY IS GOING } WE NEED TO JUST KEEP PRAYING 2 cor 7:14
thanks
I FEEL PRESIDENTS MAKE PROMISES, THAT THEY FEEL THEY CAN ACCOMPLISH AND WANT TO SO BADLY, BUT CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND THEIR CONTROL INTERCEDES SOMEHOW AND THEN ALL FORGET THAT THE PEOPLE WILL JUDGE THEM, ON WHAT THEY DID NOT DO.
GOD, WILL ALWAYS BE THERE AND HELP THEM IF THEY ARE STRONG ENOUGH CHRISTIANS TO KNOW WHAT GOD EXPECTS OF THEM.
Sometimes we as Christians build up how remarkable it is that Jesus came but this is no hype. If the Christian claim is true it the most remarkable thing that ever happened in history I think. I have tried to imagine if I were God would I do this? I probably would not have. (I would probably think mankind has got himself in this predicament so they can just accept the consequences.) And even if I would somehow have managed to come I certainly would not have come at the time that Jesus did. I would have come at a more modern age so things would be easier. I also think that if I were going to come as Jesus did that I would have hedged on my stay here. What I mean by that is that if I was going to come in that century, I certainly would not have put all my powers aside; in other words when times got tough I would have used my powers to make it easy on myself. I probably would never have gone hungry or thirsty. I would have provided food or water for myself at my convenience. But Jesus never did that. He did perform miracles. But these miracles were either to help some poor soul that satan had bound and always for the purpose of establishing belief in the ones that followed Him
That is why His coming was so extraordinary. He didn’t hedge. He didn’t use His power to provide an easy go of it. He instead came and lived as an ordinary Galilean without any special amenities. The whole scene shows the beauty of His plan. He didn’t make any short cuts. When the time was right He came, not at a convenient time but at the right time. This reveals something of who this God that we serve is
Amen Rick. If Jesus had revealed himself in such a way that it was obvious He was the true son of God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in the flesh, the Jews would have believed and the Gospel would never have come to the us, the Gentiles. Even then, God’s plan was perfect.