Sermon Cloud

            I want to read that paragraph from the top of our weekly.  I want to highlight this line, We couldn’t care less who you’re voting for this November.  As pastor, I have the overwhelming responsibility of leading this church toward God’s best.  My role is to keep calling us back to the teachings and example of Jesus. 

            Which is why I’ve called an audible this morning.  I’d planned on discussing “truth telling” as we continue our Sermon Series Slide Why Can’t we all Get Along? series, but instead I’m going to tackle the popular topic of politics.  Within our church, there are many different political views represented.  I know this from the conversations I’ve had with many of you.  With us being just a couple weeks away from the most important presidential election since 2004, I sense we need a family discussion regarding politics.

            We couldn’t care less who you’re voting for this November.  I want to go back to that line.  Is it possible to have that attitude?  There are a lot of things we take seriously here.  The 5 Slide We expect people to be serving others, to be generous with their money, to invest in people that don’t yet know Jesus.  These are all aspects of our most serious commitment, to following Jesus.  But is it okay for me to care very seriously as to whether _____ is living for Jesus, while at the same time not caring how _____ is going to vote next month?

            I’m not promoting political apathy.  While it’s tempting to not vote for any of the bums, don’t forget that our founding fathers put their lives on the line so white, landowning males could vote.  Historical sarcasm  If you’re not white or a female, thankfully there have been constitutional amendments.  As citizens of the US, I believe we have a responsibility to vote. 

            But is it possible for a community of Christ-followers to be active as citizens while at the same time being accepting of other community members with different (opposite) political views?

            We’ve got a group right now studying Greg Boyd’s book, The Myth of a Christian Nation.  I’ve shared before that that book has strongly shaped my understanding of how to be a citizen of the world while also being a citizen of God’s Kingdom.  Boyd’s other writings and his podcasts have also shaped my thinking.  A few months ago, Greg shared a very creative parable that speaks to our current political climate.  It’s based off Luke 12:13-15. 

            This guy yelling from the crowd is wanting Jesus to settle an inheritance dispute.  In Jesus’ days, there was a long tradition that the firstborn male got everything in the inheritance.  The Father had the right to change that, but he usually stuck to the tradition.  It’s pretty clear that this guy was the 2^nd, 3^rd, born and he was mad.  He wasn’t going to get squat from his father.  He was very angry about this traditional law.

            At this time, Jesus was very popular.  Things were about to change with the crucifixion, but he’s currently at his peak.  Thousands are coming to hear Jesus teach and to be awed by his miracles.  If this guy could just get Jesus on his side, he’d have some serious clout.  Jesus might be able to tip public opinion to his side of the issue.  “Jesus, do the right thing and get me my fair share.”

            Jesus’ response is brilliant, vs. 14.  “Look, I didn’t come to earth to get involved in these types of disputes.  My mission is to establish a Kingdom that is not of this world, one that will set you free.”  Vs. 15 “by the way, watch out for greed.  We wrap it in patriotic sounding phrases, but so much of politics is about greed.  “Don’t be concerned with being rich in this life but being rich toward God.”

            All of that is in the passage, but let’s use our imagination for a bit, it isn’t much of a stretch.  Imagine this guy goes home angry, “I can’t believe Jesus would say that, can’t he see how right my side is?”  When he gets home, he sees his brother who has all the money, “I just talked with Jesus (the Messiah guy) and he said you’re to share that inheritance with me.  We need to lobby together to change this law, it’s what Jesus wants us to do.”  Fortunately, that’s never really happened.  This is purely hypothetical. 

            We could make this more interesting.  We don’t know how many disciples Jesus had, hundreds, maybe thousands who followed him and listened to his teaching.  But there were 12 guys Jesus intentionally invested in, knowing they would lead his movement after he was gone.  Among these 12 was a guy by the name of Matthew and a guy by the name of Simon.  Matthew was a tax collector, which made him a conservative.  His job depended upon maintaining the status quo, keeping things just the way they were.  I’m pretty sure Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity were on everyday at his office. 

            Simon was the opposite.  He was a zealot, which made him a liberal of liberals.  He was willing to put his own life on the line in order to remake the country into a just society.  Think of the Black Panthers from the Civil Rights Movement.  These two guys were political polar opposites and yet Jesus brought them together into his community. 

             As a radical liberal, Simon may have been frustrated by the inheritance laws.  Angry at a system that kept giving the 2^nd and 3^rd born the shaft.  “We’ve gotta change this unjust system.”

            While Matthew likely wanted to protect status-quo and preserve the tradition handed down by their fathers.  Matthew’s perspective was that 1) the inheritance law was commanded by God and 2) the law was a pillar of society; reminding us that we trust in God, not wealth.  You see, only God decides a family’s birth order.  How dare we take authority for ourselves?  To eliminate the inheritance law would be one more step toward a Godless society.

            Simon was ready to fight for justice.  Matthew wanted to defend society against the liberals seek to undermine their country’s spiritual foundations. 

            As long as Jesus was around, the kept a lid on it.  But after the Resurrection, they followed Jesus’ command to proclaim the good news and to establish a counter-cultural community.  But they added their own twist to the message.  Simon knows Jesus stood for justice and justice requires eliminating the inheritance law.  Eventually, taking a stand against inheritance laws became a prerequisite for fitting into Simon’s church.  There was an unspoken code that said, “If you don’t fight these inheritance laws, you probably aren’t truly a follower of Jesus.”

            Matthew also proclaims the good news of Jesus.  Slipped into that message however, is the expectation that a Christ-follower will “fight the liberals who want to undermine society by getting rid of the inheritance laws.
            Simon writes a book, Jesus and the Inheritance Laws.  He’s invited on CNN and is hailed as the leader of the progressive, Christian left. 
            Matthew writes a book, How Liberals are Destroying Society.  He goes on Fox News and is hailed as the leader of the Christian Right.
            They both get so caught up in their political fights that they forget Jesus instructions to call a community to right living as well as taking care of those suffering from injustices.  Both want to do legit things but all they really do is demonize and fight each other.  Eventually, they split apart.  They form their own denominations, their own political parties.  Each group claiming, “if you were really a follower of Jesus, you’d ____.” 
            Meanwhile, people that were starting to get curious about Jesus decide there’s no way they’d want to join a community like that.  “Why would I want to be around people like that, they can’t even agree with each other.”

            All the while, Jesus is saying, vs. 14

            Of course, that’s a wild story.  No way anything like that could happen in our churches today.  Yeah, uh-huh.  Unfortunately, that’s a very accurate picture of a split in the church today. 

            You can find churches on the right.  Yelling at anyone that will listen, “true Christians vote Republican.  If you’re really a follower of Jesus you’d understand the need to preserve America for God, protect America from the liberals.”

            And there are churches on the left.  “Being a follower of Jesus means you fight those conservatives who don’t care for the poor.  If you cared about justice, about peace, you’d vote Democratic.”

            You’ve probably heard  a lot of this.  On Sunday afternoon, I heard a TV preacher declare, “if all of the 50 million people who call themselves Christians would vote the bible, every candidate from _____ party would get elected.”  Of course, this guy was in Newsweek awhile ago, as the top Christian supporter of one of the presidential candidates. 

            From the right and from the left.  Jesus’ name is used over and over and over to promote each groups political opinions.  And yet Jesus says, vs. 14.  It breaks my heart to see the name of Jesus brought into the mud of politics. 

            And yet, to be honest, I have to admit that I’ve done it.  In the fall of 2000, I was driving to my early morning seminary class when a classmate passed me on the highway.  On the back of his car was a bumper sticker for a presidential candidate.  This particular candidate happened to be the exact opposite of the person I was sure God wanted to win the election.  I was SO mad at him.  “This guy calls himself a Christian – a ministry student – and he’s voting for that guy.”  I shot heat rays out of my eyes at him during the entire class.  But I don’t think he noticed.

            Thankfully, I never confronted him.  But I did watch him.  I became aware of his social involvement and his ministry.  And I eventually realized why he held his particular political views.  Since that election, I’ve grown so much in my understanding of how and why people committed to the same Jesus hold different political views.

            I want us to be that type of church.  Same Jesus, different political parties.    

            Let me share 3 ways for living that out. 

            1)  Avoid the label “the Christian Vote”  Have your opinions!  Don’t just touch a screen, think through your votes.  Run each parties platform through the teachings of Jesus.  And then make your decision; Obama, McCain, Nader, Gary Coleman.  Fine, just don’t call it the Christian vote.  That’s a dangerous label to throw around.

            Here’s why; even though you’re voting for the person or party you believe best follows Jesus teachings, you’re still making compromises.  There is no party or candidate that fully embodies the teachings of Jesus.  A vote for a human being means you’re compromising something.  Now if Jesus of Nazareth were to be nominated by Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians or the Green Party, then we could slap the Christina label on that.  But until Jesus runs for office, there is no perfect candidate.

            2)  Trust each other  This means dialoguing together.  The easy thing to do is just slap labels on each other.  “He’s a right-winger, she’s a socialist, they’re bleeding-hearts, a ditto-head.”  But labels keep us from understanding the other person’s perspective.  Community is about sharpening each other, growing from each other.  “I don’t understand your perspective, I don’t agree with your perspective, but I want to hear it.  I respect your perspective.  I trust your heart.”  Talk about vulnerability, imagine sharing at your next small group gathering who you’re voting for and why. 

            3)  Look for Jesus  The word “Christian” literally means “Christ-like.”  You can only call Christian, that which looks like Jesus.  What did Jesus do?  He loved the unlovable.  He forgave the unforgivable.  He touched the untouchable. 

            No matter whom you vote for on November 4^th.  No matter the party on your voter registration card.  You matter your national citizenship.  Our ultimate allegiance is to Jesus Christ.  Our citizenship in the US is a far distant 2^nd to our citizenship in Jesus’ Kingdom. 

            As a community of Christ-followers, we’re a place where everyone is welcome.  How counter-cultural is it to live in community with someone who has the opposite political view?  Let’s be that radical. 

            Prayer

            Blessing
            May you continue to obey Jesus’ teaching.  May you continue to follow his example.  And may God guide our nation’s leaders.

 The following is a Christian's guide to voting, developed by Reverend Jeren Rowell, District Superintendent of the Kansas City District and Dr. Mark Hayse, ministry professor at MidAmerica Nazarene University. 

Christians always affirm life.  God sees all life as sacred, and God alone is the giver and taker of that life. (This belief would shape how we consider issues like genetic engineering, abortion, healthcare, euthanasia, capital punishment, etc.) GENESIS 1

Christians look out for the poor and powerless.  God calls us to take responsibility for the hungry, the naked, the imprisoned, and the sick. The Christian ethic is not “every person for themselves” but “justice for all” and “compassion among all.” MATTHEW 25

Christians affirm the stewardship of creation.  The earth is the Lord’s and God calls us to manage carefully its resources. The dominion God gives us is one of caretaking and tending, not of abuse.  GENESIS 1

Christians work for peace, generosity and equality. God has greatly blessed America, and with our privilege comes a holy responsibility to bless and serve the global community. MATTHEW 5-7

Christians practice economic responsibility. This includes the avoidance of lavish and unnecessary spending, the reduction and avoidance of debt, and willingness to give to others. LUKE 12

Christians believe in absolute truth.  God’s call to purity and morality does not change with public opinion. For example, the value of the marriage covenant is not subject to personal convenience or individual conviction.  God has clearly established the nature of marriage as a lifetime covenant between one man and one woman. MARRIAGE: GENESIS 2, EPHESIANS 5. IMMUTABILITY: JAMES 1:16, HEBREWS 13:8

Christians affirm personal accountability.  The image of God is stamped upon us all and gives us conscience.  There is also validity in a community conscience and individuals within a society are accountable to this pervasive sense of right and wrong, or natural law.  REVELATION 20

In the current political landscape, it is unlikely that one candidate or one party would embody each of these Christian principles in the measure that we might desire.  But let us remember the words of Jesus to “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s.”  There are some things Caesar cannot do which are the focus and work of the Kingdom of God as expressed through the church.  We should never expect a secular government to do Kingdom work in place of the church.  However, the church should always support politicians whose policy making and leadership will reflect Kingdom values. What are you willing to give (beyond your vote) that will help the Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven? As you have listened to the candidates, have your concerns merely been about your personal satisfaction, or have they been about the Kingdom of God?