Matthew 5:13-16

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Three weeks

Twenty days

Four hundred eighty hours

Twenty eight thousand eight hundred minutes

VOTING DAY!

Friends this is not a lot of time before the most significant Presidential election in modern history! And though I am not a scholar of American history, or any other, I do know it is critical for the American people to voice their opinion and GOTV, get out to vote! I know you have heard the vitriol from both sides and you are probably tired of the whole kit and caboodle! Yes, we all are. Yet we cannot become so overwhelmed with the verbiage on each side to just give up, give in, and sleep in tell November 4th, and hope for the best! Trust me, if you do that you risk waking up in a country you don’t even recognize!

In the early days of the nation there was a lot more information that came from the pulpits and preachers that guided Americans about elections. So much so that there was an “Annual Election Sermon” that was preached to congregations across the fledgling country. The sermons were frequently ordered to be published and distributed, often at the government’s expense, by the civic leaders. We have come a long way since then in believing the erroneous thought of ‘separation of church and state.’

In reality. there is no such expression or intent in the Constitution. The concept the Founders were expressing was to keep the government out of people’s religious choices and not establish a religion for the nation, as there was in England. After all, they came to the ‘new world’ to escape the tyranny of the established religion. The Second Amendment states; ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the Free Exercise thereof.’ Clearly the restriction is on the government not to interfere with religion, and they have NO power to prevent the free exercise of religion. That was forgotten recently when many officials placed restrictions on religious services because covid-19. Safety precautions should have been the recommendation for churches, not mandatory. I digress.

The first ‘Election Sermon’ was in Massachusetts in 1633. This practice spread from there throughout the colonies and continues until nearly the twentieth century. There are still some bolder preachers who will preach on the topic, not fearing loosing their tax exempt status. After all, there has never been a case where tax exemption has been removed because a Pastor preached about an election.

That brings me to the reminder that even Christians are convinced that there are laws about separation of church and state, and penalties if the not-existing law is broken. As a Pastor’s wife I made sure I had information about both Democrat and Republican candidates in our foyer, as well as voter registrations. Many people told my husband that information did not belong there and we should remove it. We did not!

Let’s get back to the election. I for one am praying each day for God’s will in this election in all the races we are voting on. I am challenging everyone reading this blog to pray daily also. If you can fast a meal or snack, that’s even better. Please take this ‘right to vote’ seriously! Many of our forefathers fought wars and died in wars, to earn this privilege. Many in other countries would lay down their lives for the privilege. It might take some effort to find out what candidate best exemplifies your values, but once you have found out, pray, then VOTE!

In the Biblical verse above from the book of Matthew, we are mandated to do something, by God Himself. We as ‘people of the Word,’ and Christ believers, are the example the rest of the community should follow. We are told we are the ‘salt of the earth.’ Salt is supposed to be the ‘antiseptic’ in this dirty world. Salt is a preservative of Biblical values in a world that has no values. We are told ‘you are the light of the world’ don’t put that light in your pocket our the bottom of your purse. Let that example shine so others will see it and know the right way to go. Many are confused with all the voices, commercials, opinions and ads. Remember, YOU have asked God, therefore you have the answer, share it.

Please let me know you are with me on this. I am praying at 9:11 each morning and evening. It’s easy to remember the time! God, Please Continue to Bless America!