Sermon October 30, 2022
Call to Worship
From Psalm 119:137-144 One: You are righteous, O LORD, and your judgments are right. All: You have appointed your decrees in righteousness and in all faithfulness. One: My zeal consumes me because my foes forget your words. All: Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it. One: I am small and ignorant, yet I do not forget your instructions. All: Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your word is the truth. One: Trouble and anguish have come upon us, but your commandments are our delight. All: Your word is righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live a life that is favorable in your eyes. Amen.
Scripture
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 1:1 The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw. 1:2 O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you "Violence!" and you will not save? 1:3 Why do you make me see wrong-doing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. 1:4 So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous-- therefore judgment comes forth perverted. 2:1 I will stand at my watchpost, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint. 2:2 Then the LORD answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. 2:3 For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. 2:4 Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.
How Would Jesus Vote?
Several years ago, while I was standing in line to vote, the woman in front of me loudly proclaimed, “I am voting for the first woman president of the United States of America!” Her husband shushed her, and said she is not supposed to tell people who she is voting for.
Growing up, I learned that it is not polite to talk about 3 things: sex, religion, and politics. We never shared how we voted, although my Dad certainly let us know his leanings! As for religion, I sometimes find it close to impossible that I am standing up here, since three words were never said at home growing up: God, Jesus or Bible, even though we attended church frequently.
Back to politics: So, I do not intend to tell you who Jesus would vote for, but instead we will go over what we know about Jesus through scripture, to see how he would feel if he were alive today.
Let’s first look at the scripture from Psalms 119. We spoke some of it during our Call to Worship. In it, some of the words are,
You are righteous, O LORD, and your judgments are right.
So we start off with judgement, which voting is judging. Yet we are told not to judge. In Matthew 7, Jesus says, ‘Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. 2 For with the judgement you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.” Jesus tells us that the more we judge others, the more we will be judged. So, we see that in the Psalms, we give judgement over to God, as God can make the best judgement.
One of the next lines is, “My zeal consumes me because my foes forget your words. I am small and ignorant, yet I do not forget your instructions.”
In these sentences, the writer is exhausted, because their enemies do not follow God’s commandments. Yet, being humble, the writer does their best to follow God.
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your word is the truth.
The writer says that God is right, God’s way is the truth.
Trouble and anguish have come upon us, but your commandments are our delight. The commandments again – showing that despite the chaos that the world has, following the commandments steer us straight.
Your word is righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live a life that is favorable in your eyes.
Here, the writer is asking for understanding, asking for how to live.
So, throughout this passage we can find many clues into how Jesus would vote. He would vote in accordance with God’s judgements, not his own. With righteousness and fairness. According to the commandments. With humility, knowing that he does not know everything, the way God does.
Finally, the writer prays. As Jesus did many times, asking God to steer him. Asking for God’s will to be done, not his. So Jesus would pray before voting for God’s will to be done. To decide for him who to vote for. And the instructions for who to vote for would also be found in the Bible, in the commandments.
Next we look at today’s scripture from Habakkuk.
O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you "Violence!" and you will not save?
This election cycle, we are hoping that there will be no violence over the outcomes. There was a very violent day on January 6 after the last presidential election. It does not matter who you voted for, Jesus does not condone violence, many times in his teachings. The commandments tell us not to murder and Jesus tells us to love our neighbor.
Why do you make me see wrong-doing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.
If we look around us, we can feel that the chaos and destruction of this time are also on the ballot. The future of the planet in the face of climate change, the future of the economy in a world where the rich keep getting richer, and the poor and middle class are getting poorer. Polarization because of some people feeling they are superior because the color of their skin, their gender, sexual preferences, and more. Gun violence across the US, increase in war and war budgets as though adding more weapons of death could create peace. Yes, we are surrounded by destruction, violence and strife. So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous-- therefore judgment comes forth perverted.
Sometimes it sure feels like this is our world, doesn’t it? Like the wicked win, and the righteous, those who follow Jesus, lose. I will stand at my watch post, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint. Then the LORD answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.
God says, write the vision plain on tablets so a runner can read it. Sure sounds like we are being told to vote, so that the electors can count it. For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.
The vision would be for the world to become as Jesus would have it. Where all are treated fairly. Where peace prevails. Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.
So, when we see haughty people who put their political party over people, who put themselves and their political career ahead of the good of the people, remember: God is not with them. God is with the faithful. Put your trust in God, have faith, and pray.
So, how would Jesus vote?
First, he would go to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. He would ask for guidance and trust in God. He would ask that God’s will be done for the highest good, knowing that he is just a servant of God. He would vote. He would be the hands of God, pulling the lever.
Early voting is starting. Election day is in a week and a half. We are being asked to vote as Jesus would vote. He would never vote for a political party across the board. He would vote for individuals. He would vote with love. With compassion. With non-violence. He would pray to God for three things before pushing each lever: first, the discernment to vote for the candidate that most closely resembles him, Jesus, and who would bring the most compassion to their constituents. And then secondly, to let go of the need to be right, the need to be the first and the best. He would pray to humbly accept the results of the election. Thirdly, he would ask God to give him the ability to pray for each winner. That the winners’ hearts will expand to bring love and compassion to their decision-making over their next term.
Jesus would vote. Peace and compassion would win the election.
Jesus would vote like this, because that is what Jesus would do, that’s just how he is. Can we be like Jesus? Can we vote like him?
Let us pray.
Dear Jesus, please teach us to be like you. Please teach us to let our love and compassion for our neighbor be more important than the political party. Please teach us to be humble and not expect ourselves to be right. Please help us open our hearts to all people, no matter how they believe or what political party they belong to. Please teach us how to pray for those who do not have compassion, asking for God to open their hearts so they can accept God’s love, so they can learn to have compassion. Please guide us in the next week and a half to discern the most compassionate candidates. And finally please help us to let go and to pray that Your will be done, not ours, so that we can trust that we are creating a more perfect union, where all people are treated equally with compassion and love. Amen.
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