Greetings, Friends –
United States General Election 2020
“In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me.
As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free
While God is marching on.
Glory, glory, hallelujah
Glory, glory, hallelujah
Glory, glory, hallelujah
His truth is marching on”
As we patiently wait for the final results of this historic Presidential election, the words of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” speak to me. I cannot get the lyrics out of my head. The words together are no longer a song. As the morning ends and the afternoon sunlight shines brightly, the words become the beginnings of a prayer. The second and third line, “…with a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me. As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free.” I listen to the results and know one thing: I am transfigured by Christ. Brothers and Sisters, we are transfigured because Jesus died on the cross for us. Let us show our faith at this time. That is all we can do right now. Our faith brings about the confidence to trust that God will give us the leader we need at this time.
We live in the greatest democracy on Earth and the whole world is watching to see who wins this election. We are on display showing how a democracy works. The world is also watching as we struggle through the COVID-19 pandemic. I watch people in our communities who are eager for the results, forgetting to social distance, forgetting to wear their masks, forgetting their behavior is being documented as are their emotions, good and bad, on display. We are all watching. The children watch, a distraction from their daily Zoom classes. The young adults watch in disbelief. What is going on?
I believe a lot of the anxiety displayed comes from the fear that not all of us were allowed to participate in these elections. Our 15th Amendment states, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by a State on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude.” The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy. The right to vote freely for the candidate of our choice is what makes our country so unique.
Our church leaders have held prayers before and after the elections. Now it is our responsibility to live into those prayers and transition with whomever our new leader will be.
On All Saints Day, November 1, 2020, our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry read the following sentences out of The Beloved Community, How Faith Shapes Social Justice written by Charles Marsh:
Jesus founded the most revolutionary movement in human history. It was a movement built on the unconditional love of God for the world and a mandate to a community who follow Him to live that love in the world.
Bishop Curry followed with this:
Those first followers took Jesus at His word. They dared to live His way of love. His way of love, it changed them and they in turn changed the society around them.
Jesus says of these teachings of His, “…everyone who hears them will be like someone who built their house on solid rock” (Matthew 7:24). This is a challenge to our Diocese, to allow God’s love to change us, so we may subsequently be changed and in turn change the society around us. We have voted.
Let us pray:
History is replete with the bleached bones of nations that refused to listen to Him. May we in the twentieth century hear and follow His words – before it is too late. May we solemnly realize that we shall never be true sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father until we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. (Rev. Martin Luther King)
Respectfully submitted by:
Luke Thompson, Resolution Review Committee, Diocesan Council
