A few weeks ago, we were up in the DC area for the baptism of our godchild. While there, we stayed on the beautiful grounds of Washington National Cathedral. As we were exploring inside the nave of the Cathedral, I came across a display of prayers printed on cardstock for visitors to pick up. One of them in particular caught my eye:
“A Prayer for the Nation in a Time of Elections”
I stuffed one of the cards into my purse and brought it back to Davidson with me. Since then, it has been propped up on my desk in a spot where I can easily see it. Whenever I catch sight of it at a free moment, I stop what I am doing and say a short prayer. Elections seasons are tedious, exhausting, nerve-wracking, and just plain hard on our souls sometimes.
We all have thoughts, issues, and stances that are important to us in elections. I certainly do. These issues are often deeply personal for us, and so we may get involved in working toward election outcomes that align with our beliefs and values. This is good and appropriate. In fact, it is the foundation of our democracy.
We do this work, however, in an increasingly hostile environment. When it comes to political opponents, the trend has become to demonize them rather than debate them. The divisions among us are further stoked by the insatiable appetite of the media that feeds on the drama of it all.
As I write these words, one political party has completed their convention, and the other one is underway. The ideological tensions across our nation are palpable, and the rhetoric is only likely to ramp up in the weeks ahead. We’ve already seen one presidential candidate survive an assassination attempt and another candidate step aside, and that’s just at the national level. The battles at the state level and even smaller municipalities are often just as intense.
In the midst of such vehemence all around us, it can be hard to avoid getting swept up in the spectacle and adding to the acrimony. But as followers of Jesus, we must try to model a different approach to political engagement.
Jesus was in the people business, and so his disciples must be in the people business too. God calls us to have compassion for people, even those with whom we staunchly disagree. We are called to serve and minister to people, and we are also called to work for policies and structures that allow all people to flourish. In this sense, engaging in the political process is a faithful Christian endeavor, but it matters how we comport ourselves as we do so.
I am reminded of the end of President Abraham Lincoln’s 1861 inaugural address, uttered to a deeply divided nation on the brink of civil war:
"I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
Beginning in September and continuing through early November, we will be adding a Collect for Election Season to our weekly Prayers of the People. My hope is that as we pray the words together each week, we will be reminded of our call to embody those “better angels” Lincoln was talking about.
I encourage you to be engaged in the political process as part of your faith, and I encourage you to do so in ways that elevate the national discourse rather than allow it to deteriorate even further. Before you speak (or post, or comment…) about the election, ask yourself, “Is this unkind? Is this unhelpful? Is this untrue? If so, perhaps hold off.
I also invite you to pray for our current and future leaders. If you have a Prayer Book at home, you might want to bookmark pages 820-822 for the next couple of months. There you will find prayers for our country, for various elected officials, for the Courts, and for an election. In the Episcopal Church, we are not united by the opinions we hold in common, because we are a diverse community with many opinions represented. Rather, we find our unity in common prayer, so let us pray.
Yours in Christ,
Carmen
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