Vote

Dear Friends in Christ,

In case you hadn’t noticed, today is Halloween! The name comes from All Hallows Eve, the day before the great festival of celebrating the saints. The roots of this carnival like celebration included folk traditions of honoring the dead and appeasing evil spirits, as well as marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of the darkest days of the year. Nowadays, it is a day when children of all ages dress up and go trick or treating in their neighborhoods. It is second only to Christmas in popularity, and at its best is, according to the Salt Project’s brief theology of Halloween blog, “a magical, playful night of community building and neighborhood making.” For one night, doors are opened to visitors of all ages from a diversity of backgrounds, and sugary gifts are given to children “dressed up as heroes and villains alike,” giving us a glimpse of a world where Lines of social divisions cease to exist, differences disappear, and neighbors love neighbors the way Jesus told us to.i

There is so much to worry about in the world right now – war, environmental collapse, famine, political division and hatred, to say nothing of personal pain and suffering. With less than two weeks to go until the election, things feel particularly tense and uncertain. There is so much we can’t change it is easy to feel helpless and overwhelmed. As Cindy reminds me when I go down the rabbit hole of “what if…” regarding the upcoming election, there isn’t anything we can do about it…except vote. In his first senate speech in 2021, Georgia Senator Ralph Warnock stated that a vote is a kind of prayer for the kind of world we desire for ourselves and for our children. I recently read something that said that voting is one way we can put our faith into action.

We are not called to live out our faith apart from the world but in the world. Almost all faith traditions encourage their members to vote. Aristotle defined the root word for politics, the polis, as a community defined by its common understanding of and commitment to the good life. Augustine tells us that we can identify the character of a people by determining what they love. Jesus himself says we should give to Caesar his due and pay taxes (Mark 12:17), and Paul teaches that we must submit to political authority, and defines the proper role of government as promoting good and punishing evil (Romans 13:1-7).

I follow a Savior who chose mercy over judgment, belonging over rejection, compassion over personal need, and love over hate. A Savior who came to bring good news to the poor, release to the captive, recovery of sight to the blind, and freedom for the oppressed. I believe in a God who scripture tells us has a special place in their heart for the poor and the vulnerable and instructed God’s people to take care of the widow and orphan and welcome the stranger. I practice a faith that says we are only as strong as the most vulnerable among us, and no one is free until everyone is free. The prophet Micah says it best:

“He has told you, O human, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8)?”

And so, I encourage each of you, get out and vote. I will not tell you who to vote for. That is between you and the ballot box. But please vote. Vote for the world you desire. Vote for the values you hold. Vote as a way of expressing your faith. Vote for a world that looks like Halloween every day.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Jane+ i https://www.saltproject.org/progressive-christian-blog/theology-of-halloween