Firsts

On Obama's first day as president, I couldn't help but think of Jesus' oft-spoken words, "The last will be first, and the first will be last." Of course that is the eternal promise, when God will make all things right, the sweet song of justice. It is the rare occasion, on the other hand, in the here and now, to glimpse this prophetic inversion, when those on the bottom of society, the bottom of the system, the bottom of agendas find their way to the top. Rarer still is to bear witness to such an event in the dramatic terms we did before the entire world. This of course was the reality that made Tuesday the historic day it was. During the inaugural coverage, while the first couple were making their way back to the White House after the parade, it was noted how amazing it was to think that the very walls of the place the Obama's now call home was itself built by hands and sweat of slaves not long ago. Maybe more than anything, this is the first of hopes upon us.