One of the ironic things that happens when election time comes around is the promise each candidate has for change. I don't care if you support Obama, Clinton, or McCain...each one has their own promise of how things will change if they are elected and put in office. Their promises of change seem like a breath of fresh air, but really it happens every time you have an election. The previous president, senator, or commissioner has made mistakes or not followed through in some way, and the opponent wants to play off of such things.
It's really no surprise everyone promises change, because change is inherent to the sense of fallen-ness we experience as human beings. We move from one unfulfilled promise to another, hoping the next will provide the fulfillment we're looking for. Until we center these initiatives around Christ and the Kingdom we will always fall short. Even when we do this we don't always find the answers we're looking for because the Kingdom has not come in its fullest realization of the Second Coming of Christ.
Take churches for example. There is no one church that meets the needs of all people. Churches emphasize one program to the neglect of another. Every time you choose one thing to work on you automatically choose something you're not going to work on. We're working for the Kingdom, and as the Kingdom has come in Christ, there is a sense to where it is still coming. As the Kingdom comes changes occur, or they ought to. So change is inherent to our society and our world as we await the coming of Christ.
There is certainly a sense where one person can change things...or perhaps better stated would be a catalyst for change...take Martin Luther King Jr. for example. But behind any change or movement is a community that participates in the changing of things. This ought to be the church. While we have leaders in the church, we need the community of believers to work for the Kingdom and enact change. I think one of Obama's slogans is "Change we can believe in." For the Christian, it ought to be change I can be involved in. The fulfillment we want as a result of change can only come from working for the Kingdom of God. Even as we work, however, we will always groan inwardly for the realization of that Kingdom.
