Dear Fellow Children of God,
I voted today, October 22. Most of you know that Kathy and I leave Friday
night, October 26, for a vacation in Germany to celebrate our 35th
anniversary. So we won’t be in Alaska on election day.
One thing I try not to do as a pastor is to tell you for whom I believe you should vote. One reason for this is that there is no
perfect candidate. God tells us in
Scripture we are all sinners. Everyone
has their strengths and their weaknesses.
Imagine if the church supported a candidate who was elected, and this
office holder was then involved in a horrible scandal. Did the church then approve of the scandalous
behavior? Obviously not. However, it can seem to others that if the
church supported a candidate, and the candidate mis-behaves, that children of
God then accept that bad behavior. We
want to give a witness that honors our Lord, not one that dishonors Him.
However, while as
pastor I won’t tell you which candidate you should support, I will seek to pastor
and guide Christians to follow what God says about how we should live as God’s
children. God’s people are called to respond
to His love and live lives of faith, honor, righteousness, and justice. We are to love God and love others. God has given us the Ten Commandments. These commandments are the healthiest way for
us to live, and when we live according to these commandments our lives then
give honor and glory to God.
So, while as pastor
I try not to tell you who to vote for, I will encourage you to act in an informed
manner to honor our Lord who loves and saves us. Before you vote, please ask yourself a few
questions.
·
God calls his people to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)
So, which vote will lead to policies and actions of justice and mercy,
especially for the vulnerable in society?
·
Scripture tells us a purpose of government is to
reward those who do good and punish those who do evil. (Romans 13:4)
When I vote, which vote supports righteousness in our culture?
·
Scripture tells us the government is to work for
an orderly society so the church can “live peaceful and quiet lives in all
godliness and holiness.” (1 Timothy 2:2)
Which vote will provide the best opportunity for God’s church to live as
God’s children, and to freely share the Gospel?
Please remember, no matter how we vote, we human beings
are sinful and have failures. Just like
there is no perfect Christian, there is no perfect leader. But, we can see directions that a politician
endorses, and we can judge which candidate plans a course for our community
that most closely follows the direction God gives us. I firmly believe that when we live as
children of God we bless those around us with our faith and love.
Christians need to do more than just vote. God calls his children to work for the good
of our communities (Jeremiah 29:4-7), to honor those who serve, (Romans 13:5),
and to pray for our leaders. (Jeremiah 29, 1 Timothy 2:1-2) We work for the
good of our community and our country when we vote informed by God’s love and
direction.
The
Christian life is a life of response to our loving Lord who has saved us in
Jesus. Jesus describes that Christian life
of response with these words, “Love one
another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34) I am convinced that when we take
our responsibility as citizens seriously, we then show God’s love to
others. I encourage you to vote this
election, and I pray for God to bless our community and our country.
A Child of God, Seeking to live as a Christian Citizen,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Kathy and I
leave this Friday night / Saturday morning to enjoy a trip to Germany to
celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. Actually, we are leading a tour that will
explore the history of Martin Luther and the Lutheran Church. We will be in Wittenberg on Reformation Day,
October 31. St. John church members
Dwayne and Donita Odland and Carol Gustafson will be traveling with this
group. We all ask for your prayers for
safe travel and growth in knowledge and faith.
A booklet describing our trip has been posted outside the church office.
****
ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS
FROM THE PASTOR’ - I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully
weekly, to all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have. (I am
always adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving
this e-mail for the first time.) However, if you don’t want to receive
this e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list
for this message. . . Or, if you know someone who would like to receive one
of these e-mails, please send me their
e-mail address.
****
No comments:
Post a Comment