Praying for Our Neighbors Who Serve Our Elections
The British statesman Joseph Campbell, in 1898, delivered a speech in which he stated, “I think that you will all agree that we are living in most interesting times. I never remember myself a time in which our history was so full, in which day by day brought us new objects of interest, and, let me say also, new objects for anxiety (Emphasis added). This is most likely the origin of the ironic curse, “May you live in interesting times,” inaccurately attributed to the Chinese.
There is no denying that life in this country and around the world is “interesting.” Anxiety producing. Frightening, even, as it has been so many, many times in the past. Yet through all those times, people of faith have continued to trust, to hope, to pray that the God of All Promises would not abandon his people. We are part of that great cloud of witnesses now being called to trust, hope, and pray for this nation and all its people, which can be a daunting prospect. Hence, this invitation.
Bishop Manlove, together with the Synod Council, has convened a task group to help congregations within our Northwest Intermountain Synod (NWIMS) reach out to their county clerk or auditor, the person, along with their colleagues, responsible for ensuring that the lawful requirements for voting in county, state, and national elections are followed to the letter.
This is an issue that affects us individually and as members of our communities and congregations. So the task group (currently composed of Pr. Edwin Weber, Pr. Peg Harvey-Marose, Pr. Tricia Christman, Becky Newberry, and Gwen Sullivan) will be compiling ideas and resources to share with congregations as we join together in upholding, with prayer and encouragement and gratitude, these officials as they carry out their assigned duties. This initiative will be titled “Prayer and Presence in Public Life: Praying for Our Neighbors Who Serve Our Elections.”
Please be assured that this is not, and should not become, a partisan campaign. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us, “Christian community is not an ideal we have to realize, but rather a divine reality created by God in Christ by which we may participate. The more clearly we learn to recognize that the ground and strength and promise of all our community is in Jesus Christ alone, the more calmly we will learn to think about our community and pray and hope for it” (Life Together, 35).