Thought for Today
Isaiah 30:9 For they are a rebellious people, faithless children, children who will not hear the instruction of the Lord; 10 who say to the seers, "Do not see"; and to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions,
Matthew 16:2 "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' 3 And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
“The headline “Dewey Defeats Truman” is one of the most famous errors in journalism history. It appeared on the front page of the Chicago Daily Tribune on November 3, 1948, the day after the U.S. presidential election. The newspaper incorrectly predicted that Thomas E. Dewey would defeat the incumbent President Harry S. Truman” (Bing search) There is an iconic picture familiar to many of my generation showing President-elect Harry Truman triumphantly holding aloft a copy of that Chicago Daily Tribune edition 2 days after the election.
Yogi Berra famously said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” Atrocious grammar aside, he was correct. Things are not over until they are. To shamelessly appropriate an old advertising slogan, “It’s never to late to make dessert.”
Even if you do not follow politics, you must be aware that this is a Presidential election year. A few months ago, all of the polls and all of the pundits were confidently predicting a landslide victory by one party. Then, gradually, their predictions became less certain; and, there was increasing mention of the “margin of error,” the uncertainty factor in statical analysis.
Just a few weeks ago, one political party completely upset the apple cart by changing its ‘presumptive’ candidate. By doing so, that party has generated great enthusiasm among its adherents. The change generated increased interest among the pollsters and prognosticators as to the choice of a Vice-Presidential candidate. Last night, while watching one network’s coverage of a that party’s first rally after that choice was announced, I was amazed by how the attitude of that network’s reporting team almost seemed to indicate that they believed the whole election was now guaranteed. George Santayana famously said, “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” He was as perceptive as Yogi Berra, maybe even more articulate.
What has all of this to do with Christianity? Don’t we live in a country with “separation of church and state?” We do; but, as Christians we are commanded to “Luke 20:25 give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." We must be dutiful citizens of our nation. A part of that duty includes voting and voting for candidates we select by examining how their conduct and their promises advance the Kingdom of God.
Christians know that we are to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. We know that God requires us to do justice, love kindness and to walk humbly with God. We know Paul’s words, “Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—” We should always bear in mind that definition of faith, “Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
As Christians, we pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ We all know that we’re not there yet. Despite the threats we hear in campaign rhetoric, I do not believe that failure to vote in this election for one candidate or the other will ensure or doom the promise of attainment of the Kingdom of God. Attainment of the Kingdom of God depends on you and on me. I have read the Epistle of James. I agree with the author that we demonstrate our faith in the lives we live.
Certainly, how we interpret ‘giving to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s’ influences how we interact with the governance of our nation. That is true for Christians throughout Christendom. All of us must filter our political choices through the filter of our faith, with the goal of hastening the Kingdom of God. I know that there are those who will make the same evaluations as do I, and will arrive at different conclusions. I know those words of Wm. Barclay, “It is good to have the assurance of being right, but that is no reason to hold the conviction that everyone else is wrong.” However things turn out, remember, They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love.
Stay safe, have faith, trust God,
Pastor Ray