Vote. It’s an Act of Love
When Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s,” those are usually two different things. That is not the case when it comes to voting.
In a democracy, our right to vote is our power to love on a broad and social scale. With it we have the opportunity to join with others in “doing unto others as we would have them do unto us.” In this case, it is how we would have our representative government “do unto us” and all those we join in serving in the name of love. It is only the government that can do good on such a large scale. For that to work well, it must be made up of people who have a similar conviction to love and to serve with integrity. This makes every one of our votes essential.
I mentioned Sunday that after voting early, I realized that I had voted for about 50% Democratic candidates and 50% Republican candidates. This is because in each instance, and with research, I believed that it was those individuals who best represented the virtues that I think are essential for governing on our behalf: character, competence, and compassion. These are the virtues of Jesus who is my starting point for everything in my life, and they exist in candidates in both parties. Studying to find those takes a bit of work, and this, too, is an act of love. The winners will be making decisions that will affect us and the world for years to come. Our act of faith and of love is to elect the very best of us to make those decisions. Yes, I am giving to Caeser with my vote, but I am giving to God and God’s world first with my vote.
Separate Note: The season and the election have been exhausting and feelings will be charged and mixed after November 5. So, on November 7, we will hold a Service of Peace and Healing in our Chapel at 7 p.m. This will be a quiet, musical time of meditation and reflection on our God who is bigger than any election and outcome. Pastors will be available for prayer. It is open to all who seek a safe and healing place in an anxious time. As John Wesley said, “The best of all is God is with us.”
See you on Sunday for our All Saints Remembrance.
