Today is Election Day, when all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 34 Senate seats, 36 governorships, and hundreds of local school board and municipal elections across the country. This election season has seen an unprecedented amount of venom, hate, and anger, not to mention outright lies. It has been very disturbing.
We may smile a bit at certain beliefs such as those pushed by QAnon, anti-vaxxers, and certain conspiracy holders, but we should not be so sanguine as to think that they, like the witch-hunters of previous generations, cannot stoke fear into people so that they behave irrationally.
The question for us as Americans is how we will address the really important issues that will shape our future after this election is over. How will we – if we can – create some common purpose for our Nation? As Christians we must stand against hate and the underlying fears that create it so that we have a more inclusive society, not one that pits one group against another.
Prayer for the Day
We come to you, O God, in a time of anxiety and concern,
For we hear how those who would divide us spew forth their venom;
We come to you, O God, to find hope and strength in these times,
For we need your wisdom to address forces of disruption.
Grant, O merciful One, that we are able to remove the boundaries
That divide us, one from another, creating a just society.
In the name of the One who gives us vision,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
A soon as the generals and the politicos can predict the motion of your mind, lose it. Leave it as a sign to mark the false trail, the way you didn't go. Be like the fox that makes more tracks than necessary, some in the wrong direction. Practice resurrection.
- Wendell Berry, American poet and essayist
People always want to be on the right side of history; it is a lot easier to say, "What an atrocity that was" than it is to say, "What an atrocity this is."
- Natasha Trethewey, American poet
Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us.
Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you?
Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.
Psalm 85: 4-7