Gentle Reader,
As a pastor, I walk a fine line. It is not my job to endorse a presidential candidate. Especially not from the pulpit. It is, however, my calling to preach and teach God’s truth. To point you and me back to God again and again. So, six days before the 2024 presidential election, I offer you and myself the following reminders:
The ends do not justify the means.
A Christian nurtures the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
The mind of Christ does not produce a gleeful hope that the government will jail or deport people who don’t look like you or who disagree with you.
Women are equal to men.
Holiness and evil are never in partnership. God is not found in lies.
The desire to “own the libs” or anyone else is not Christlike.
”Whataboutism” is not a spiritual discipline.
God loves the people you don’t understand and can’t stand. Loves them exactly as much as God loves you. And commands you to love them, too.
Violence is never the answer.
If you want abortion to end, then you must do the work of creating communities that support the poor, the single mothers, the disabled, and others who are marginalized.
Conspiracy theories are spun by those who seek or want to maintain power. They are useful lies, and those who first sell the theories know they’re lies.
Other people are not your enemies.
Salvation is found in none other than Jesus Christ.
Racism is an evil straight from the pits of hell. It is never “just a joke.”
Authoritarianism of any stripe is not going to get you the safety that you want. In the end, the leopards will eat your face.
Jesus Christ does not belong to a political party.
Join me in meditating on these words:
If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth…This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister…
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
– 1 John 1:6, 1 John 3:10, Luke 10:29-37 (NRSV)
We are supposed to be different. We are supposed to be holy and loving people. We don’t need to allow ourselves to be swept up in contests of fear and power. We don’t need to let ourselves become pawns in anyone’s games. Our calling, our identity, remains the same whether we live in a society that is favorably disposed to us or not. Yes, vote. But do it as a Christian, with an attitude of humility, a soul full of grace, and a heart bursting with love. And then wake up on Wednesday, November 6 knowing that your God-given task to feed the hungry, clothe, the naked, preach the Gospel, and spend your life in the service of Christ remains, no matter what.
Comments closed because I don’t want the spam and I don’t have the space in my schedule to debate. Go and pray on these things. Seek the wisdom of the Lord. I’m right there with you.
GRACE AND PEACE ALONG THE WAY,
MARIE
Image Courtesy of Parker Johnson