Election Thoughts
Finally, the nation’s election for a new president and Congress is behind us. The votes have been cast by millions of Americans, and the nation awaits the results. The election may be quickly decided, or it may take a number of days to tally all the votes and declare winners for the various races.
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I have not the foggiest idea who will be our next president. Virtually all the polls are predicting a nail-biter of a race. One thing I do know, however, whoever wins, regardless of whether Republican or Democrat, will have my support. Support doesn’t mean that I will agree with every decision, and it doesn’t mean that I won’t criticize our leaders if I think they are wrong, but it does mean that I will pray for those who lead us and never publicly disparage them.
I will also refrain from gloating if the candidates of my choice happen to come out on top. It seems to me that gloating is rather inconsiderate of my fellow Americans, since half of our nation probably disagrees with me. To gloat only further hardens tribal loyalties and does nothing to bridge the divide between Americans. Contrary to much of the political rhetoric, both Democrats and Republicans are patriotic Americans and want only the best for our country. Our future lies in working together, not tearing each other apart.
Lincoln warned that a divided country cannot survive. If we sever the bonds with our neighbors who disagree with us, we will fail as a nation. In his second inaugural address Lincoln closed his speech with words that are as timely today as they were in 1865: “With malice toward none with charity for all with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation’s wounds…” I pray that whoever is elected president will strive to heal the wounds of our nation with humility and charity for all.
There is also a second reason why I will refrain from gloating if the candidates of my choice win. My first loyalty as a follower of Jesus is not to the political beliefs I espouse, but to the God I serve. And the God I serve calls me to be a peacemaker, a person who actively engages in bringing people of various political stripes, ideologies, and religions together, not through force or intimidation, but through understanding and love (Matt. 5:9).
Greek and Roman emperors also called themselves “peacemakers,” but their idea of a peacemaker was to bring about peace through subjugation and humiliation. Jesus’ idea of peace, on the other hand, was to lift all people up, to make all people winners. A peacemaker in the biblical sense worked diligently to ensure that no one was a loser.
A peacemaker strives to make the world a better place for everyone, not just for those who align with his theology or political views. A peacemaker is one who unites people; the opposite of a peacemaker is one who intentionally divides, who believes that to win others have to lose. If ever there were a time when peacemakers are needed in America, it is now.
Interestingly, Jesus doesn’t tell his followers they will learn to be peacemakers or that they will be peacemakers some day in the future. Instead he tells his followers they are peacemakers now—“Blessed are the peacemakers.” Jesus, in effect, is congratulating his followers on who they already are!
Think of it this way. A player comes off the field and the coach congratulates him on what he has already done. “Great play!” the coach tells his player. “Way to go! You nailed it!” Jesus is doing exactly that with his followers. “Well done,” he tells his followers. “You are what you claim to be. You are doing godlike work in the world. You are peacemakers! Congratulations.”
Jesus assumes that as his followers we will adopt his ways. He has confidence that our old way of life—a life of petty jealousies, hatred, self-interests, bigotry, arrogance, and the like—has been cast aside, and that we have died to self. This is what Dietrich Bonhoeffer meant when he wrote, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Followers of Jesus have buried their old way of life.
The Beatitudes are the foundation of the Christian faith. To follow Jesus means to align your life with these teachings. Obviously, as individuals we fail to consistently live up to the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount. But the Church as a whole is permeated by the Jesus Way. In other words, the Church is characterized by the peacemakers—the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, and the pure in heart or, quite simply, it is not the Church.
If the Church is known primarily for its political ideologies or for putting candidates into office, then, sadly, it is not the Church. The Church is known by its adherence to the Jesus Way—by its love for enemies, its forgiving attitude toward others, its generosity to the needy, its simplicity of living, and its unwillingness to judge others (See Matt. 5-7).
The Ten Commandments and Beatitudes are the essence of the Judeo-Christian faith. Traditional Judaism lives by the Law of God, but followers of Jesus live by imitating his life.
The Church exists to be a reflection, albeit a rather poor one, of God’s presence in the world. The scriptures teach that any who follow Jesus are not defined by their politics, but only by their resemblance to Jesus. So, are we who we claim to be—are we peacemakers?
