The Calm Before the Storm

Tomorrow begins the big push that will be this week. Besides the usual church events of tomorrow, in the evening all of those entering the call process at the seminary will have dinner with the Evangelical Covenant Church's superintendents from the different regions of the US and Canada. On Monday my J-term class begins (something on Christian Formation), and I also begin interviews with the aforementioned superintendents during my lunch break from the J-term class. Monday evening I'm also in charge of a worship service for those taking J-term classes. So, it's going to be a busy week.

So, the 112th Congress was sworn in just the other day, and it got me thinking what I was looking forward to with this new make-up of the House and Senate. Here are a few things:

1. Crazy quotes from new tea party Republicans. You know there are going to be some real doozies, especially now that they have to talk to people who disagree with them.

2. Then, I'm looking forward to mainline Republicans trying to explain these quotes without seeming crazy or angering the tea partiers.

3. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's take on crazy quotes from tea party Republicans.

4. Democrats trying to use quotes to gain support but just looking desperate and frazzled.

5. Useless votes to repeal bills (e.g. health care bill) that they do not have the votes to repeal, thereby wasting much time and energy on useless endeavors.

6. Lots of talk about cutting programs.

7. Any talk about cutting the bloated military budget labeled as "unpatriotic" and "dangerous" by these fiscal hawks.

8. Talk about cutting programs that service the poor labeled as a "necessary steps" to ensure "self-sufficiency" and "fiscal responsibility."

9. More positioning for 2012 elections than actual governing.

10. Very few bills actually being passed.

Captain Crunch Berries may be the ambrosia of the gods. Just sayin'.

I do think it is interesting that one of the first things Republicans did was have the Constitution read aloud in session (except they took out the parts that make the Founding Fathers look crazy like those on slavery or any of the other parts that were later changed. Obviously, we don't want to make the writers of the Constitution look fallible). It is interesting that they would chose this ritual reading, almost like a worship service reading of the Bible or Torah (words of Rep. Jerry Nadler), to begin the 112th Congress. I like Nadler's concluding thoughts on this: "Your not supposed to worship your Constitution. You are supposed to govern your government by it" (albeit a little awkward wording in the "govern your government" part). Well said. It's a little like this painting of Jesus and the Constitution:

Sorry for all the politics today!

Well, I need to go print off bulletins and chord charts for tomorrow. Later.