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Last Updated: Dec 12, 2008 - 4:54:39 PM |
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Next Tuesday is Election Day. As a pastor, I do not tell people for whom they should vote. However, I do encourage people to vote.
Shortly after the voting is finished, you will know if your candidate has won or lost. If your candidate loses, then the temptation will be to speak against the winner. I suggest something different. All those elected need our prayers because of the difficulty that comes with their positions. Our Founding Fathers knew the importance of praying for divine guidance. Many of those elected next Tuesday will desire any prayers you might direct towards heaven for them.
Also, all winning candidates will need our respect for the offices to which they have been elected. We might not have voted for some of the people who won the elections, but now they will be filling various offices, and thus will be responsible for serving the public in those offices. Those elected will not always do what we think should be done. At times we will disagree with them on how things should be run, or what is best for everyone. At times those elected will fail, just as you and I fail. Yet, we will still need to respect them because of their office, and we will need to learn to forgive them just as God forgives us in Christ.
Quite frankly, I’m a bit tired of all the slams and counter-slams that take place during the election season. I eagerly wait for the days after the election when the televisions, newspapers, and radios will move on to other stories of interest. I’m for giving the newly elected officials a chance to serve their fellow human beings in whatever office to which they were elected. I’m for daily asking God to give them the grace and wisdom they will need to perform their responsibilities, often in tough circumstances.
While I won’t tell you for whom to vote, I do encourage you to vote. Yet, when the voting is done, then the real work of serving one’s neighbor through government will begin. All those elected to the various positions will need our prayers. They will need our encouragement. They will need our respect as they move into whatever position entrusted to them. They will also need our understanding as they seek to serve their fellow human beings through their public office. Finally, from time to time, they will need our forgiveness. We will not always be happy with their decisions. The people we elect to public office are sinners just like us. They, like us, need to live by God’s forgiveness in Christ. They need our forgiveness also. I’m glad I live with a God who daily and richly forgives me all my sins. I’m also glad I serve people who know how to forgive me because God has forgiven them. The people we elect to public office will have times when they also need our forgiveness.
Election Day is almost here. I encourage you to get out and vote. Beyond that, I encourage you to respect and pray for those who will be elected to the various offices next Tuesday, even if you did not vote for some of them. Finally, God forgives us in Christ and continues to do so on a daily basis. We can trust this forgiveness – a forgiveness that moves us forward. Even if you don’t agree with some of the people who will be elected next week, you can learn to pray for their success, forgiving them when they fail, and encouraging them to move forward.
Pastor Douglas Morton is pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Marengo. Click here for email.
© Copyright 2008 by The East Iowa Herald
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