My Beloved – as I write this short note, our presidential election is still a few days away. By the time you read this, the winner should be clear. I know that for some of us this will be the best of times. Our candidate will have won. Our vision for America will be on the horizon. I know that for others of us, it will be the worst of times. Our candidate will have lost. Our vision for America will be locked in a backroom and largely forgotten, if not actively ignored.
Regardless of the outcome, there are a few things we should all bear in mind over the next four years.
As thoughtful human beings, we know that tides eventually turn. Pendulums swing. Extremes rarely become permanently intrenched. Whoever is ascendent today may well be forgotten tomorrow, and vice versa. Let’s not be so arrogant, or demoralized, as to think that the present situation will last forever.
As Presbyterians we know that all human institutions, like all human beings, are necessarily depraved. Even our best, most altruistic acts are tainted by sin. From the universal church to the nuclear family, from the United Nations to the smallest precinct, sin is part of who we are. No political party is perfect. All political parties can, and do, make horrible mistakes. Including the party winning this election.
As Christians, we know that our first priority, our highest commitment, is not to our country or to our political party. As Christians, our greatest commitment, our most heartfelt devotion, is to God. Our greatest concern is to be the individuals God wants us to be and to help our country be the country God wants it to be. Every Sunday in The Lord’s Prayer, we pray for God’s will to be done ‘on earth as it is in heaven.’ Part of our calling as Christians is to help make that happen.
Beloved – if your party is in ascendancy, help it to be the most Godlike party it can be. Help your party make America the most Godlike country it can be.
If your party is in decline, then show your patriotism by being the ‘loyal opposition’. Use your party to help the majority party align themselves with how God wants us to live. Not by name-calling or violence but through loving others as God loves us.
We Christians know that politics are not an end in themselves. Rather, they are a means to an end. They are a means whereby we strive to help our country be as good as it can be. We strive to help our country be a place where God’s will is done as freely and lovingly as it is in heaven.
May God bless America, this day and always.
Pastor Ken.