“I go to church to hear about God, but churches shouldn’t get involved with politics.” How often have we heard or said something like this?
But, how often have we heard or quoted the following statements?
“Love God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and neighbor as thyself.”
“For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’”
“Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”
“What does the Lord require of you? But to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
These verses talk about acting our faith out in the public space, with and for our neighbors. The truth is the word “politics” is “the work of the city”, and acting our faith out in the public space is clearly part of being a Christian.
For centuries the Church of Jesus Christ has found God’s call in these verses and others an invitation to act out our faith in the public square, seeking what is best for our neighbors. In countries that have free elections, Christians have long emphasized that voting is a particular way for us to act out the love of neighbor, to participate in the conversations that feed the hungry and care for those in prison, to create peace in our communities, and to do justice, and love mercy giving witness to what it looks like to walk humbly with our God.
Even more importantly, living in a democracy we have the opportunity to love our neighbors by ensuring that their own voices are heard. The dignity of voice is a demonstration of God’s love.
During this election in a pandemic, voting might seem confusing or stressful on even deeper levels, but if we want to seek to do justice, we must find ways to encourage ALL of our neighbors to vote.
So, Foothill in this season is going to seek to act out our faith through voter engagement.
- We will be calling members and community folk to encourage them to vote, and to share information about how to vote safely and in a way that guarantees their vote will be counted.
- We will be sharing information about the content of the ballots, such as the many propositions and in some cases, how such issues have been raised by the PCUSA Office of Public Witness.
- We will be working with People Acting in Community Together (PACT) an organization of faith communities in San Jose to help the broader San Jose area to act their faith out by voting.
Finally, we will be making volunteers available to answer questions about where one can mail or drop off their ballot as well as location of voting sites, and figuring out rides so folks can get to where they need to go.
To start, please click this link and learn about the ballot that will be (or has been) mailed to you: Read up on all of the races and propositions so that you can vote with the power of education and do what the Lord requires of you… to vote so that we can answer the call to care for neighbors through good citizenship.
And in a concrete way, may we live into our mission statement:
With Christ’s love: Answer the call. Connect with hope. Care for neighbors.
Blessings,
Pastor Lindsay
