WWJVF?

Well, I don't need to tell you that we're in a political season. Not living in a so called swing state, I sure miss the barrage of rhetoric and ads that must be flying at folks in places like Ohio and Florida right now. Everywhere these people turn, dollars turned into media time fly from the tv screens and radios. Talk about saturation. It must be difficult to escape, especially when allegedly neutral news services get into the act.

But as we look down the two plus weeks to the election I have to ask another question of Christians and their churches. It's been on my mind a lot lately, and I just need to ask:
WHO WOULD JESUS VOTE FOR?

I know. It's a touchy question. Republicans and Decomcrats, Liberals and Conservatives alike would be only too happy to give their version of what Jesus would do shortly after stepping into the voting booth. As for me, I have no idea how Jesus would vote.

I can tell you that Jesus said to "love your enemy." But I have no idea how Jesus would vote.
I can tell you that Jesus said, "Blessed are the Poor." But I have no idea how Jesus would vote.
I can tell you that Jesus healed the sick even if they didn't have health insurance.
But I wouldn't pretend to know how Jesus would vote.
And I can tell you that Jesus said that those who live by the sword shall die by it. But alas, I still cannot shed any light on how Jesus might vote.

No one could say how a first century guy like our Lord would vote. I can hardly summon up the image of Jesus and an exit poll, let alone imagine him mulling choices over soon to be hanging chads.

No. Neither you or I know how Jesus would vote.
But we do know how he calls us to live.
We do know that the call of Jesus summons us to the barricades in the struggle for social justice.
We do know that the call of our Savior forbids us to do harm to others....for any reason.
We do know that in our baptism we have been called into communities of faith where everyone is to be welcomed. No exceptions.
And we know that the new life we have in Christ Jesus is something we are called to share, not just with words, but with substance and even by offering our own lives if need be.

It would be wrong, and some might even think unethical of me to suggest to you that Jesus might vote one way or the other. God, after all, is neither Republican or Democrat, and rumor has it he doesn't back Nader either. So I won't go there. Nope. Not even close.

I will, however, succumb to the boldness of a long, long day and say this.

We may be non-partisan, but we may not be neutral.

We may not be silent in the face of injustice and violence, whether it's in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco or the streets of Falujah. We may not shirk from our call to pick up the cross and follow Jesus.

It's certainly not easy. But it is pretty simple. We stand for Biblical principles, not passing partisan fads. In Christian teaching war has been considered an abomination long before we marched into Bagdad. Healing has been a primary call of Christians long before health care was in issue in our land. You know the deal. Pick up your Bible. Read Matthew, chapters 5-7.

The bottom line is this. You look at the candidates and you decide. It turns out that it's not about how Jesus would vote. It's about you. You look at the candidates and the issues. You decide.

Well, that's enough for one late Saturday night.

Wishing all of you every good blessing and urging all of us to walk the walk, I bid you good night.


Pastor Schuyler Rhodes