Dear Beloveds,
As the election season is here – and for many, your vote has already been cast – I have been doing some reflecting on what it means to vote as a Lutheran Christian. Please know that I am not telling you who to vote for in this election. It is not for me to tell you who to vote for. I mean, after all, God is neither Republican or Democrat, or even American.
But in saying that, I am not abdicating the responsibility that we have as Lutheran Christians who live in a country where voting matters. As children of God, we are called to vote beyond our own self-interest or individuality. As people who follow Jesus, we are called towards God’s vision of a just and mercy-filled world. As people who have received grace upon grace, we are called to stand against injustice, and to remind everyone that, in God’s eyes, every single person is loved and beloved.
So, here are a few thoughts and questions:
- Jesus is all about loving one’s neighbor. Even when it is hard. When he is asked, “Who is my neighbor,” Jesus expands his answer beyond imagination. In Jesus’ stories and actions he constantly goes to those who are on the outside, those marginalized, those without status, and shows how they are loved by God – how they are, in fact, his neighbor.
As you vote: Who is your neighbor?
- Throughout scripture, hospitality to the stranger is embraced. In the Old Testament, the command to welcome strangers is repeated 37 times. In Matthew 25:35 Jesus says, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
As you vote: Who is the stranger?
- God’s will and God’s calling is towards equity and justice for those who have been silenced, oppressed, or harmed. As we hear in Isaiah, “Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, and plead for the widow.”
As you vote: Who are the silenced, the oppressed, the harmed?
- The eighth commandment declares that we are called to not bear false witness against our neighbor. This, of course, means not lying about another. This means no name-calling or false accusations. But it goes beyond this. As Martin Luther tells us in his Small Catechism, we are to defend our neighbor, speak well of our neighbor, and explain everything in the kindest way.
As you vote: Who is speaking truth?
- God created this beautiful earth and declared that we are both part of the creation and are also called to be stewards. As we read in the ELCA social statement, Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice, we affirm that it is God’s intention for the healing and wholeness of creation.
As you vote: Who is caring for creation?
Dear Beloveds of God, there is so much more that could be written about the state of the country and what voting means. We could make this all complicated and intricate and difficult. (And to be fair, the United States sometimes feels shaky and unmoored). But truly it comes down to this: God’s love is unconditional and unending. Jesus came to this earth to show, to embody, to be God’s love for us and for all people. And so, knowing this, trusting this, believing this, we are called. We are called, as baptized and sent children of God, to show this love to the world. We are called to vote against hate. We are called to vote for God’s love. As we hear in 1 John, There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear … We love because God first loved us.
+Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee
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