But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20
Dear Friends in Christ,
Happy Halloween! One of the scary parts of many Halloweens is that election day is right around the corner… So it is this year. But perhaps we can learn something from Halloween that might help us as we approach this national day of civic responsibility. Halloween gets its name from “All Hallow’s Eve;” it is the evening before the Feast of All Saints on
November 1. On All Saints Day, we remember the saints who have gone before us, especially those of heroic faith, those who were martyrs, or those whose faithfulness brought unique blessings to the body of Christ.
But when the New Testament authors write about the ‘saints,’ they mean all Christians—all those ‘made holy’ in Jesus Christ. And here is a strange source of hope for us. For all of us Christians are the saints even if we are not perfect and heroic in our faithfulness. Truth be told, the great heroes of the faith were far from perfect themselves. Peter betrayed Jesus and Paul was Jesus’ enemy. But for them and for us, our hope is not in human achievement, but in the grace of God given to us in Jesus.
So it is in our civic life. Our hope is not in the right candidate or the right party. Our hope is not even in the right system of government. We have much to be thankful for in this country, but no country is perfect. Our hope is in God’s transforming love for us, in the Holy Spirit at work in the world through ways more powerful than the heads of state and mighty armies.
If you are ever discouraged at the political difficulties we are weathering in this country at the moment, remember that the power of God is greater than any challenge we face. Fight the urge to give up on the whole thing and walk away. Disengagement only drives us further apart and weakens our country and our system of government. With respect and honest curiosity, and with frankness about your own convictions, engage with one another about our governments’ policies, whether local, state or national. Engage in the political process in which we are privileged to have a voice. Do not block off God’s voice to you in the process. Stay informed by God in your engagement, and bring God’s grace to bear on political conversations, both easy and hard ones. In your faithful engagement, you will bless your neighbor and bless our country.
In all human history, there have been ups and downs and uncertainly in every generation. All through it, God is changing lives for the better and renewing us day by day. Take heart, do not be afraid on this Halloween night! Take your place among the saints who, though human and broken, have been renewed by the God who loves them. And look forward to God’s renewal in the day ahead!
God bless you always!
Yours in Christ,
-Tom