Good Morning All,
So here we are less than 50 days away from what is becoming a “defining moment” in political history…or does it just seem that way? Nonetheless, if you come across anyone in our country who isn’t aware of the 2008 presidential election, you might want to ask what planet they’re from! While I am very excited about all the interest that is stirring among us, I am also growing weary with all the ads vying for our attention. It’s a regular hay-day for the political cartoonists, satirists, pundits and late-night talk show hosts, not to mention Saturday Night Live.
I truly believe it’s my civic duty to learn all that I can in preparation to vote for the candidate of my choice and am grateful for the freedom to do so; it also makes me an even stronger proponent of what our nation’s forbears aptly called, “separation of church and state.” And of course I realize as I write this, even the interpretation of this amendment varies among many faithful people.
But I stand quite firm in not crossing the line in using the pulpit as a “bully-pulpit” in support of one candidate over another; or one party or another; or to take advantage of the captive audience of our faith community, to distribute partisan political propaganda. And yet I also believe that my faith certainly does impact my political decisions and my convictions about the work of our government especially when it comes to serving the public good as well as our relations with all those countries we share life with on this planet.
This being said, knowing that none of us can fully know the mind of God, I still can’t help but wonder and ponder about what God must think, if anything, of this 2008 presidential election. And yet there are a whole host of folks out there who are certain of what God thinks and desires, especially as we prepare to elect the future president of the United States .
I came across a cartoon in the September 23, 2008 issue of the Christian Century where God is somewhere “up there” looking very distressed while twirling the planet Earth on his index finger like a basketball. Many political thoughts and comments are ascending to God, like: “God is Pro-life!” “God is a Republican!” God approves MY message!” “God is Pro War!” “God would vote for ME!” “God hates how you draw Him!—No, SHE does not!” Feel free to write in your own thoughts here…And then off to the side of the cartoon are 2 angels offering two presumptions with which I agree… “God must hate elections…One can only presume…” :)
As people of faith, some of the best homework we can do in making any and all of life’s decisions is to study God’s Word and to prayerfully seek the guidance of God’s Spirit to interpret the Word. One’s faith cannot be something that we concern ourselves with and quickly put on a shelf for display when it comes to living a life filled with so many decisions. Faith indeed is to be an integral guide for all of life; building a strong foundation for one’s world view; how we treat others; how we help those in need; how we consider issues of power, greed, economics, peace, war, the environment, etc.
Being able to recognize when to say “NO” and when to say “YES” to any candidate; to whatever is being proposed by a particular candidate; or to a certain direction that our government decides to take; happens best when I choose to allow my faith to guide my actions. But I do so acknowledging that I am speaking or acting only for myself; never presuming that I speak for anyone else. Isn’t that what every “good Disciples of Christ” is called to do?
While I can’t imagine that God has time for any direct involvement in politics or determining the outcome on election night; I do believe that you and I are called to make the important decisions of life based on the guiding principles of our faith…nobody ever said it would be easy… “Choose this day, whom you shall serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve God…” (Joshua 24:15) Blessings, Joanne
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
God Speaks
Good Morning All,
Unlikely places, unlikely faces, unlikely circumstances…when considered as positive situations, I can look at them as good surprises; when considered as negative experiences, I can look at them as barriers to other things. But in general, all of these remind me of how unpredictable life really is. For the most part, I really appreciate and enjoy the times when my world is infused with unpredictability. Because when I’m struck with the unpredictability stick, I know I have been spared from having a ho-hum, ministry as usual kind of day…But also know I’m grateful that it doesn’t happen all the time :) Regardless of my day, I need to always anticipate as each day unfolds that I will meet some aspect of the unknown and will need to roll with the punches.
Some days though, when I least expect it, I encounter people whom I haven’t seen for ages; maybe they are former members who stop by to chat as they pass through town; or I bump into former members who have moved out of the area at the Fairgrounds Flea Market; and other days it’s meeting a stranger on the street or in a store or at the gasoline pump.
As I reflect on these encounters, I wonder what to make of them. Are they simply a nod to chance? Signs of something more meaningful? A “God-happening” perhaps? Maybe a combination? In any case, I find myself paying more attention to them than I used to.
Not too long ago I was waiting for friends to arrive at a restaurant. A woman and her children emerged from the restroom and approached me to ask if I were waiting on the children they saw in the restroom. I said, “No, I’m not.” “Oh, well, I just wanted their parents to know that they are the nicest and most polite children I’ve seen in a long time.” “How nice of you to seek out the parent to tell them something good about their kids.”
And then almost as if in the same breath, she gave me a handwritten note. She said that she felt called to give it to me…
“God makes a promise—
Faith believes it,
Hope anticipates it,
Patience quietly awaits it…”
And as she left she said, “Have a blessed day…”
Hmmmm…What a great way to share your faith with a stranger. I applaud her for finding a way to witness to her faith in a non-threatening; non-offensive way. We can all learn from this as you and I attempt to discover our own ways of telling others how important God is in our lives. But the question remains, “Was this a nod to chance? A “God-happening?” Who’s to say for sure? Maybe it takes such chance happenings for God to speak to us?
Last Sunday during the Children’s Moment I asked the children how God speaks to them/us. After quickly ruling out cell phones, computers, telephone, writing a letter or note, one child with his hand slowly waving in the air, quietly says, “God speaks to us through our feelings…we just know…” “Yes, we just know, don’t we?”
Unlikely place, unlikely face, unlikely circumstance…Waiting for friends outside a restaurant… receiving a handwritten note from a stranger…Maybe God really does write notes…
Blessings, Joanne
Unlikely places, unlikely faces, unlikely circumstances…when considered as positive situations, I can look at them as good surprises; when considered as negative experiences, I can look at them as barriers to other things. But in general, all of these remind me of how unpredictable life really is. For the most part, I really appreciate and enjoy the times when my world is infused with unpredictability. Because when I’m struck with the unpredictability stick, I know I have been spared from having a ho-hum, ministry as usual kind of day…But also know I’m grateful that it doesn’t happen all the time :) Regardless of my day, I need to always anticipate as each day unfolds that I will meet some aspect of the unknown and will need to roll with the punches.
Some days though, when I least expect it, I encounter people whom I haven’t seen for ages; maybe they are former members who stop by to chat as they pass through town; or I bump into former members who have moved out of the area at the Fairgrounds Flea Market; and other days it’s meeting a stranger on the street or in a store or at the gasoline pump.
As I reflect on these encounters, I wonder what to make of them. Are they simply a nod to chance? Signs of something more meaningful? A “God-happening” perhaps? Maybe a combination? In any case, I find myself paying more attention to them than I used to.
Not too long ago I was waiting for friends to arrive at a restaurant. A woman and her children emerged from the restroom and approached me to ask if I were waiting on the children they saw in the restroom. I said, “No, I’m not.” “Oh, well, I just wanted their parents to know that they are the nicest and most polite children I’ve seen in a long time.” “How nice of you to seek out the parent to tell them something good about their kids.”
And then almost as if in the same breath, she gave me a handwritten note. She said that she felt called to give it to me…
“God makes a promise—
Faith believes it,
Hope anticipates it,
Patience quietly awaits it…”
And as she left she said, “Have a blessed day…”
Hmmmm…What a great way to share your faith with a stranger. I applaud her for finding a way to witness to her faith in a non-threatening; non-offensive way. We can all learn from this as you and I attempt to discover our own ways of telling others how important God is in our lives. But the question remains, “Was this a nod to chance? A “God-happening?” Who’s to say for sure? Maybe it takes such chance happenings for God to speak to us?
Last Sunday during the Children’s Moment I asked the children how God speaks to them/us. After quickly ruling out cell phones, computers, telephone, writing a letter or note, one child with his hand slowly waving in the air, quietly says, “God speaks to us through our feelings…we just know…” “Yes, we just know, don’t we?”
Unlikely place, unlikely face, unlikely circumstance…Waiting for friends outside a restaurant… receiving a handwritten note from a stranger…Maybe God really does write notes…
Blessings, Joanne
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