Notes From Jon

I have been amazed at the amount of hatred and sniping that has been seen this week. I suppose I shouldn’t be.  But I am amazed anyway, and sickened.

It’s hard to put political feelings aside, I realize.  But I recognize that I’m part of a greater citizenship than that of a particular political party.  I’m a citizen of a heavenly kingdom first, and of a great nation second.  I think most of us recognize that.

So again, it’s amazing to me to see people already plotting our new President’s demise, after only three days in office.  I see them everywhere – CNN, Fox News, OpEds in papers, religious forums… even on Facebook.  There are, of course, the continued gripes about his policies – whether real or only imagined.  And then there are the petty jabs about something he said or did that was awkward… as if, just like our previous presidents, Mr. Obama is not a real human being who makes mistakes from time to time.

Is it possible that seeds of anger and division are already being sown, when the soil is only newly plowed?

I don’t suffer from the “savior delusion” many are claiming.  I’m as skeptical as many of you.  Barack Obama is not Jesus – he won’t be able to fix all our problems.  This side of heaven, no one is going to be able to fix all the ills that plague humanity.

But whether John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Al Franken or even Fred Thompson had become president this week, I have concerns that are greater than any awkwardness those people might present in their first days in office.  In fact, a bit of awkwardness might be expected… if nearly anyone stepped into the most powerful office in the world without a bit of awkwardness, I’d be worried.

No matter who you voted for, Barack Obama is our president in a historic and crucial time for our nation.  In the midst of several great crises – economic, energy, environmental, and international relations to name a few – how can someone root for our elected leader to fail, and thereby allow our nation to slide into even worse condition than it already is?  Just because they hold a personal dislike for someone?  Because they want someone they “like” to swoop in and “save” us all instead?

Many imply it, but only Rush Limbaugh has been brave enough to actually say it so far: “I hope he fails.”  Granted, Mr. Limbaugh can say something like that, since he has millions of dollars and his reputation is already secure.

Perhaps Mr. Limbaugh is not governed by certain “Laws” and “Policies” that affect me as a Christ Follower.  Didn’t Jesus say to love and to pray for our enemies (Matt. 5 to for a start)?  Didn’t Paul urge us to respect and pray for our leaders and authorities (1 Tim. 4, Romans 13)?  Is there anywhere in the Scriptures where bitterness and discord are encouraged?

This is the time to support our president in prayer and in action, and work for the good of our country.  It’s the season to sow seeds of encouragement and unity, to work together to nurture the ideals that have made this nation great.  It’s time to look carefully and critically at the policies and practices of a new president, not his dance moves or his verbal stumbles.

The seeds we sow now will be reaped later.  What kinds of seeds are we sowing in these crucial days?

Well, I’ve been working hard to keep my political preferences hidden in most of my public life (except maybe on Facebook, and even then I didn’t go all out or anything).  Honestly, I’ve come to view elections a lot like I view football – I have that nervous, queasy feeling in my stomach today, waiting to see who will “win.”  I’ll be watching this evening to see the results.  And like most of you, I’ll be VERY GLAD when it’s all over.

For reasons I’ve previously mentioned, I’ve been careful not to be open in declaring my position about this election, even though I’ve got pretty strong feelings about it.  I made a contribution, however small, to the campaign of my choice because I believed in it – and still do.  But no one knew about that donation except me and my Visa card.  I didn’t put up yard signs, didn’t make phone calls.  I recognize the power I have as a spiritual leader, and I know that by advocating a particular candidate, I might have undue sway on someone in the community (either for OR against, depending on how they feel about me!).  I’d rather use that influence for things that will make a difference.

And no matter who wins, I will support them in whatever ways I can.  I don’t subscribe to the whole, “don’t blame me, I didn’t vote for him” mentality.  It’s a cop-out.  It’s as if we could say, “Since I didn’t vote for whoever is in government, I don’t have to abide by the rules of law, and I have no responsibility for what our nation does.”  If you didn’t vote for Bush, and if you blamed him for the current economic crisis, does that mean your retirement account is immune from the stock market fallout?  Of course not.  We’re all in this together, no matter who we voted for.

Now I’ve cast my vote, and so have most of you.  So at last, I feel like I can “vent.”

I voted for Obama, and I’m going to tell you some of the reasons why.  I am NOT going to slam John McCain – in fact, I have a lot of respect for him.  He has an amazing story as a soldier and as a US Senator…

[Edit: I've decided not to post my reasons here.  If you really want to know, email me and I'll share them.  But I think the above says enough.  This blog is primarily an outlet for my writings and musings about faith.  And while I viewed this election very much as a matter of faith, I also see that it was polarizing for people of faith.  I don't want this to be a place for that.]

I wish I’d had my camera.  And even if I had, it was pouring down rain, so it wouldn’t have been a good picture anyway.  But I had two urges as I drove up and saw our polling place in Kenbridge this morning

First, I felt pride.  As I drove up, I saw a line of at least 20 people outside the Kenbridge Emergency Squad, waiting their turn to vote.  It’s the most people I’ve ever seen at the polling place here, and I’m proud because so many people obviously care enough about his election that they are willing to stand out in the rain in order to vote.

Second, I had to laugh.  Most of your polling places probably looked similar to ours on the outside.  The ground looked normal enough, close to the doors where people waited to enter the building.  But about 40 feet out, you could almost see a defiined perimeter – an army of red and blue campaign signs, laying seige on the polls.  By state law, you can’t even wear a t-shirt, hat, or sticker for the candidate of your choice within 40 feet of the building entrance.  So of course, at 41 feet there are tents with people waving signs, handing out literature, and “encouraging” you to vote for their candidate.

I laughed because today, in the age of information, what use are campaign signs?  They seem like a waste of money.  They say nothing about the candidate – unless you count some of those signs attacking the opponent, which actually says more about the person attacking than the one being attacked.

I suppose, however, that undecided voters might just pull up to the polling site and begin counting the signs.  Whoever has more signs up here obviously deserves to be president.  Or if you’re undecided and you’re a gambler, maybe the “eeny-meeny-miney-moe” technique would work for you.

What do you think?  Is there a place for yard signs in future elections?

Someone always says what I’m thinking better than I could.  In this case, I’m linking to Chuck Warnock’s blog, “Confessions of a Small-Church Pastor.”  This is something like my post a couple of weeks ago, “How to Vote in the November Elections,” but Chuck’s version is much more concise and much better stated.

I encourage you to have a look at Chuck’s post from last week: “Why I will not endorse a candidate for president.“