“A vote is a kind of prayer for the kind of world we desire for ourselves and for our children…”
Senator Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia
October 31, 2024
Dear siblings in Christ,
I don’t know about you, but I am pretty well exhausted as I anticipate next week’s presidential election. I’m tired of the news. I’m tired of the polls and predictions. I’m tired of waiting to see what will happen.
The reality is that we don’t know what will happen Tuesday, or in the weeks and months that will follow, and unknowns are scary. No matter the outcome, no matter the response to it, I want to remind you of a few things that we do know.
First, God is the God of history. There is nothing that has happened or will happen that is beyond God’s hand. As followers of Jesus, we give thanks for those things that appear positive and helpful. We also believe that there is nothing that God cannot use for God’s own good purposes, even those things that seem catastrophic. It may take a while – so long we might not see that good purpose in our lifetime. But God is active in those things and is restoring all that is broken.
Second, as followers of Jesus, it is our practice (and we will renew this vow on Sunday) to both strive for justice and peace among all people and also to respect the dignity of every human being.
It is much easier to respect the dignity of someone we like or agree with, or who needs our help with something. The rubber meets the road when we engage someone with whom we disagree, or who does bad things. There are some things that are truly matters of opinion and there are some things that are flat out wrong. For example, there are multiple ways to deal with immigration in our country, and people will have different opinions about what is best. No problem there. On the other hand, hate speech that debases immigrants and encourages violence against them, or actions that violate basic human rights are just wrong. We don’t all have to agree. We do all need to behave. I firmly believe that calling out behavior that is wrong is one way we respect the dignity of the wrong-doer. The dignity they possess is compromised by the wrong behavior. It may be our voice that calls them to their truest self. As we turn the corner into this election week, remember who you are and whose you are. Choose words and actions that are in line with what Jesus taught and with which Jesus would be pleased.
And then there is that striving for justice and peace part. No matter the outcome of this election, you and I stand a good chance of being called on to act. What that will look like depends on what the circumstances present. I suspect whatever that action is will involve being excellent stewards of the power and privilege we have, using those gifts to amplify the voices of those on the margins, the disenfranchised, and the vulnerable.
Finally, remember that people are good. I have a new spiritual practice. I carry around in my head the memory of the last time I behaved like a jerk. That way when I encounter someone else behaving like a jerk I stand a better chance of accessing some compassion for them instead of writing them off. People are good. Guard you heart against the despondency that so easily forgets that.
With love and in faith,
Jenny+
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