The Year of our Lord, 2004

This was a year of elections. The year began with ten candidates for the Democratic nomination for President dueling through a grueling series of primaries and caucuses. The primary season featured an intense frenzy of Bush hatred and Howard Dean’s Des Moines scream (replayed on television more than 900 times) dooming his candidacy. Teams and strategies were developed to respond aggressively to a recurrence of Florida’s hanging chad squeaker in the 2000 election. While early exit polls indicated a Kerry landslide, by the time the dust settled President Bush convincingly won reelection to a second term--in spite of billionaire George Soros, Hollywood’s finest Michael Moore, and news-maker and anchorman Dan Rather.

After predicting a chaotic election in Afghanistan, the major news media hardly gave notice when their election produced a clear national leader. Now with about a month to go before the election in Iraq, the major news media seem intent on ignoring the widespread progress in the majority of the country and highlighting the violent acts of desperate hoodlums. The despicable behavior of a few of our soldiers at Abu Graib prison gave at least some credence to the idea that we are on the same moral level as those who mercilessly beheaded civilians, beginning with Ken Berg.

Meanwhile, back home the cultural civil war erupted with passion when the state of Massachusetts and the city of San Francisco approved gay marriage, prompting President Bush to call on Congress to pass an amendment to the Constitution, defining marriage as a union between a man and as woman.

The nation remembers Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction during the Super Bowl half-time show better than the game itself. Meanwhile, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, entirely in Aramaic, grossed $84 million in its first weekend and became the most successful R-rated movie ever.

In May the cicadas descended; in July Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne devastated Florida; in October SpaceShipOne (the world’s first privately built manned spacecraft) completed its third round trip to space; and in December tsunamis tore through beaches around the Indian Ocean, causing over 150,000 deaths.

This was the year Ronald Reagan, Yasser Arafat, Ray Charles, Rodney Dangerfield, Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo), Christopher Reeve, and Reggie White met their maker. Meanwhile Ken Jennings finally ended his streak on "Jeopardy!" after winning $2.5 million. And Martha Stewart began serving a five-month sentence at Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia.

This was the year the Red Sox broke the curse, sweeping the Cardinals in the World Series after a heart-pounding series with the Yankees. This was the year Lance Armstrong won his record sixth consecutive Tour de France. This was the year Barry Bonds hit his 700^th steroid-powered home run, begging the significance of modern athletic achievements. This was the year Packer fans will remember for the 4^th and 26 meltdown in Philadelphia. This was the year Sheboygan’s extravagant Blue Harbor opened for business, and the Sheboygan area hosted the PGA Tournament at Whistling Straights, setting a PGA attendance record.

At First Christian Reformed Church, this was the year we approved a Youth Pastor position. During the course of the year we witnessed the baptism of seven children, the professions of faith of thirteen young people, the marriage of nine members, and the death of two members. This was the year of our Lord, 2004.