St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Owings Mills MD
November 8, 2022
Election Day
Deuteronomy 10:17-21
Psalm 145:1-9
Matthew 5:43-48
Our Platform
It’s good for us to be together this evening.
Although Zoom gives it a modern twist, the truth is that we are doing what Christians have done since the very beginning: gathering together to hear God’s Word and to pray for others and for ourselves.
Our Christian ancestors gathered in good times and especially during times of trouble, like the days we have been living through, the hard days, that, unfortunately, we will continue to face, no matter the outcome of today’s election.
Regardless of our politics, I hope we can all agree on the need for prayer – maybe not so much prayers for a particular electoral outcome (though, of course, I get that, and confess that I have prayed like that myself. And you’re welcome to pray for whatever and whomever you’d like!).
But we’re especially called to pray for our community, for our country – to offer prayers for peace and justice and, most of all, love – the good gifts that only God can give.
If we’re being honest, we can admit that, in our overheated political environment, there’s some risk in getting together to pray tonight – there’s the chance that some will hear unintended partisan endorsements from me or maybe from the prayers and lessons included in the service.
So, for the record, the prayers are all from the Prayer Book and the lessons are those appointed for Independence Day.
In church a couple of weeks ago, when I first announced that we would be having this service, I sensed a little bit of electricity travel around the pews.
Maybe that was just because we haven’t had an Election Day service before. Or maybe some people thought that this work is just too political for the church – that the risk of giving offense or creating division is just too great – so, better just to let people watch the election coverage on cable news, just leave them to the tension of waiting, the joy of victory, the agony of defeat, and the worries about what is yet to come.
But this moment is too important for us to chicken out.
And one of the messages that Jesus repeats over and over again is simply this:
Be not afraid.
No matter what, God will not let go of us.
Do not be afraid.
So that’s the first thing I want to say tonight.
And the second thing I want to say is that we Christians have our own political platform and it does not align perfectly with either the Democratic or Republican platforms, or, for that matter, with any other ideology.
In fact, Christians make a very big mistake when we think that some other political platform matches Jesus’ vision of the Kingdom of God.
The church gets into big trouble when we grow too cozy with political leaders, and we go right off the rails when we become too infatuated with worldly power.
So, what is our political platform – what’s the foundation for how we are to live together?
Well, it’s right there in tonight’s lessons, and it’s in the Baptismal Covenant we are about to renew.
Our Christian platform is putting God first, far above any worldly leaders, no matter how much we might like and support them.
Our Christian platform is sticking together, recognizing that, whatever our differences, they are not wide enough to prevent us from praying together.
Our differing points of view must not – cannot - break our bonds of love.
Our Christian platform is caring for the poor, the vulnerable, the oppressed, and welcoming the stranger. We do this not because they’re better or nicer than anybody else, but simply because they’re poor and vulnerable and oppressed and far from home, and they need our help.
Our Christian platform is trying, with God’s help, to love the people we find really hard to love – to love the tax collectors, the lepers, even the Romans, of our own day, of our own lives.
This is our platform – this is our Christian political platform.
So now, after a seemingly endless election season, the polls have closed and we await a future that is in many ways uncertain and unsettling.
But, my dear friends, remembering who we are and whose we are, do not be afraid.
And, with God’s help, together, let’s stand firm on our platform – keeping our promise to love God and to love one another.
Amen.
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