VOTE!

Posted on 9/25/2024 by Penny Adams

We are, once again, at the beginning of the annual voting season.  (Yup, we are called to the polls in Virginia every year.)  This year is another go-round for the extremely contentious atmosphere that our democracy has been facing for some time.  We’re all, no doubt, very tired of the rancor, the inability of our leadership to come together and get things done.  Our leadership prefers to bicker.  What can you do?  I’ve heard so many people tell me that our government is broken, it’s all pointless, so they’re just going to sit this one out.

Oh no.  We can’t do that.  We are Christians, and we are called to participate. “For you are called to freedom, brothers and sisters, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another.” (Gal 5:13)  Paul is telling us that our freedom comes at a price—we may not do whatever we feel like doing, but must serve one another in love.  Love others as we love ourselves.  That is, we must take care of those who cannot take care of themselves—the widows and orphans.  We are called to see to it that the system is taking care of everyone. 

Micah reminds us, “and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (6:8) 

How do we translate Micah’s admonishment to do justice into our Twenty-First Century lives?  We participate in our democracy, we keep it alive.  Democracy is an expression of loving our neighbors.  We cannot simply take care of our own little plot of the universe.  We are called to make sure that everyone has the same basic needs met—decent housing, enough to eat, medical care, access to education—that we expect for ourselves.  Everyone needs to be treated with the same level of respect that we want for ourselves and our families. 

While we can successfully navigate through this world offering respect to everyone we meet, as individuals, we can’t possibly dole out life-needs on a grand scale.  That takes us coming together in community to work for the common good.  That ultimately means we need good government, compassionate government, to do this work of loving our neighbors. 

So we need to participate in making sure we have good government.  Thus, we vote.  We vote wisely, for people who hold the values of loving neighbor in their hearts and minds.  We pay attention, do the research, find good people to vote for.  We must vote faithfully.  And then we stay engaged, participating in democracy not just in November, but year-round.  We advocate for the things we feel are important, for the leaders we have elected to represent our will.  We advocate for loving our neighbors.

And we don’t just see to it that we ourselves vote.  We help make it possible for everyone to cast a ballot.  As a community of faith, we ask ourselves if we need in some way to help get “souls to the polls.”  We make sure our families, friends and loved ones get off the sofa and to the voting booth.  And then we advocate for fair, equitable voting laws, for everyone.  We must continue to demand that every one of our neighbors can make his or her voice heard.  That is what we are called to do.

This year especially, vote as if Democracy depends on it.

            “Cast your vote, not on a partisan basis, not based on your biases,

            But vote your values.  Vote the values of human dignity and equality.

            Vote the values of the rock on which this country was built.  Vote.”

                                                                                   -Presiding Bishop Michael Curry