This past Saturday was yet another election day in the state of Louisiana. As I try to do whenever the polls are open, I went down and had my vote counted for the various offices on my precinct's ballot. I did this after reading the paper and seeing who was running for what, what their stated (for we truly don't know a politician's position until we see their voting record) positions are on the various issues, looking at various online forums to see who was endorsing who and why, and did my dead-level best to vote for those people and propositions that I thought was best.
As a pastor, I always get nervous during election time. I see people spending more time paying attention to the politics of the day than anything else. I hear people repeating what they've heard after a day of watching cable news and listening to talk radio. People get visibly and violently angry with one another discussing the issues. Families divide over what position to take on an issue. It's gotten to where I don't watch the 'discussion' shows where people are supposedly going to talk rationally about these issues. As you see who have been booked you can basically script the discussion based on the topic (some of them are so over-programmed by the time you see them twice you can give their spiel word-for-word the third time). All that gets accomplished is people getting mad with one another, and getting more self-satisfaction that their viewpoint is right (when far too often, NO one is right). In other words, divisiveness.
The reason I get nervous is that far too often we in the church get way more passionate about our political views (no matter what they are) and rely more on the freedoms of our constitution than the freedom of life fully devoted to Christ. This is never clearer to me than during election time.
One of the more popular quotes in politics is: "What did they know and when did they know it?" The King of Kings knew you were going to be free from sin and death at the cross - when did you (if you have) know this?
If you truly want to make a difference this election season, be more intentional about exercising the only absolute freedom you have - freedom in Christ Jesus - and let the world make fools of themselves by worrying about these other things. Go vote, as it is our responsibility to do so, but keep it in perspective.
After all, why pray "thy Kingdom come" if we don't mean it?
See you Sunday!
Lamar
As a pastor, I always get nervous during election time. I see people spending more time paying attention to the politics of the day than anything else. I hear people repeating what they've heard after a day of watching cable news and listening to talk radio. People get visibly and violently angry with one another discussing the issues. Families divide over what position to take on an issue. It's gotten to where I don't watch the 'discussion' shows where people are supposedly going to talk rationally about these issues. As you see who have been booked you can basically script the discussion based on the topic (some of them are so over-programmed by the time you see them twice you can give their spiel word-for-word the third time). All that gets accomplished is people getting mad with one another, and getting more self-satisfaction that their viewpoint is right (when far too often, NO one is right). In other words, divisiveness.
The reason I get nervous is that far too often we in the church get way more passionate about our political views (no matter what they are) and rely more on the freedoms of our constitution than the freedom of life fully devoted to Christ. This is never clearer to me than during election time.
One of the more popular quotes in politics is: "What did they know and when did they know it?" The King of Kings knew you were going to be free from sin and death at the cross - when did you (if you have) know this?
If you truly want to make a difference this election season, be more intentional about exercising the only absolute freedom you have - freedom in Christ Jesus - and let the world make fools of themselves by worrying about these other things. Go vote, as it is our responsibility to do so, but keep it in perspective.
After all, why pray "thy Kingdom come" if we don't mean it?
See you Sunday!
Lamar
