SOMETHING ELSE
It’s election season. As Christians, how can we live out our Christian faith when we vote? Is it even possible? Let’s see what scripture has to say about it…
Prayer
Holy God — our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer — guide us this morning by your Word and your Holy Spirit, so that in your light we might see light, and in your truth, we might find freedom, and in your will, we might truly discover peace through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Scripture
1 Timothy 6:11-19
But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.
Hymn
“Rejoice, the Lord is King!” — Charles Wesley (YouTube video for in-home worship: Click here for Video)
Rejoice, the Lord is King!
Your Lord and King adore!
Rejoice, give thanks, and sing,
And triumph evermore:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Jesus, the Savior, reigns,
The God of truth and love;
When He had purged our stains,
He took His seat above:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
His kingdom cannot fail,
He rules o’er earth and heav’n;
The keys of death and hell
Are to our Jesus giv’n:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Rejoice in glorious hope!
For Christ the Judge shall come
And take His servants up
To their eternal home:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Reflection
The first command out of Jesus’ mouth in Mark’s Gospel is not repent, like most of our translations have it, but metanoia, or “change your mind, start thinking a different way, have a new worldview” (Mark 1:15). It’s a shocking yet perfect introduction to the New Testament story because it’s radical. In essence, Jesus is saying — as he does later very literally — “you’ve heard it said…but I tell you….” The gospel, or good news of Jesus Christ, is something else. Just like Jesus blazed his own trail, critiquing and baffling virtually all the authorities around him, so Jesus’ message blazes its own trail and calls us to a new way of being in the world — a way that is not like any other way we know or can see — because it begins with grace and ends with grace.
In 1 Timothy 6, the Apostle Paul picks up on this metanoia language of the gospel in his final words to his disciple, Timothy. “But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called.” In other words, stop living and thinking like all of those whose god is money and whose desire is power (see 1 Timothy 6:6-10). Instead, make righteousness, love, and all that follows from them your vision and your mission. He then explains why — because Jesus “is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.” There’s only one person who deserves our allegiance and only one pursuit that deserves our passion. It’s Jesus and Jesus’ gospel.
Yesterday, I broke my own rule. I answered a call from a number I didn’t know and that I rightly suspected was a telemarketer. One of our two political parties was calling to ask me if I was going to vote for them straight up and down the ticket. I said I wasn’t sure. I like to vote for my candidates individually, based on their own particular merits and positions. That’s because, as a Christian, my beliefs and my vision for our nation and our world don’t match up perfectly with either (or any) party.
I don’t mean to pat my own back when I say that’s not an easy position to take. It requires work and getting to know who’s on the ticket and what they each stand for. It also means having to make some hard decisions because no political party or candidate is going to match perfectly the Christian position. We’re always going to have to compromise along some lines. That’s because no political party or candidate is Christ who, Paul reminds us, is the only Sovereign, King, and Lord.
Let me illustrate. Christ taught a consistent ethic of life and love epitomized in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and the Great Commandment (“Love God, Love Neighbor”). Some have described this as a “womb to tomb” ethic. Treat everyone with the love, dignity, and respect due a child of God at every stage of his or her life, from its beginning to its end. How do we treat babies? Love and respect them as children of God. How do we treat mothers? Love and respect them as children of God. How do we treat the poor and the vulnerable? Love and respect them as children of God. How do we treat the incarcerated? Love and respect them as children of God. How do we treat our enemies? Love and respect them as children of God. How do we treat our world? Love and respect it as a child of God.
Such an ethic of life and love touches on a whole host of issues that run across our current political spectrum — from abortion, women’s rights, and the death penalty to immigration, war, and the environment. No wonder it’s hard for us to figure out whom to support! Which candidate or party out there fits this bill in its entirety? I can’t think of a single one. (And, I’d have to say the same thing even if I were running, because none of us is Christ.) So, where does this leave us? We might be tempted to stay home and vote for nobody. I get that, but I think there’s a better option.
Paul tells Timothy that he should pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Elsewhere, he says that we should be “transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). What he’s talking about is making sure we have wellformed consciences that can make difficult decisions because navigating life, not to mention politics, is rarely easy or clean. How do we do this? We do it through prayer, learning, reflection, and engaging with others, especially those with whom we disagree. So, I encourage you over these next four weeks to practice these things and then, on election day, to vote your Christian conscience as best as you can, knowing that no person and no party is perfect.
Closing Prayer
Holy God, we thank you for loving us so that we can go out and love your world without condition, proclaim your truth with boldness, and perform your justice with compassion. We thank you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.