A Concord Pastor Comments: Monday Morning Offering: 10/24

Morning Coffee by George Mendoza

Good morning, good God!

The election is just two weeks away
and I'm wondering, Lord:
if you were a candidate -
would we elect you?

If you were running for office
I know how you'd campaign:
with open and transparent honesty
-- no need for fact-checking
your statements and sound bytes!

Your campaign promises would be many:
   justice for all;
   peace for those who work for it;
   pardon for those who freely forgive;
   unseating the mighty and lifting up the lowly;
   an economy based on filling the hungry with good things
      and sending the rich away empty;
   respect and reverence for life
      in all it shapes and forms...

Your platform would be flawless:
   laws rooted in truth, justice tempered with mercy;
   freedom bound by responsibility;
   executive clemency shaming the vengeful;
and an unapologetic preference:
   for the defenseless innocent,
   for those waiting to be born and their mothers,
   for the poor, the marginalized, the stranger
   and for victims of power, greed and arrogance...

But I know your name won't be on the ballot, Lord,
so I ask you to be with me as I study the candidates
and their platforms, pledges and policies...

Open my mind to all sides of the issues
lest I cast an uninformed, foolish vote
on matters of poverty and prosperity,
peace and war, life and death, rights and responsibilities...

Help me see through the ads and the hype,
through the vitriol and name-calling,
lest I vote on the basis of looks and appearances,
polls and promises...

Give me counsel to choose wisely
especially when the choices fail to offer
what I seek and expect
of those who would govern your people...

Make of me, Lord, a discerning disciple:
empower me to cast my ballot
as my faith, my intelligence, my conscience,
and the truth of your Word lead me to vote...

As November 8 draws near,
I offer you my heart, Lord:
inscribe on it your word of truth
in letters gospel-wide
and bold enough for me to clearly see...

I offer you my mind, Lord:
bathe my thoughts in wisdom ever ancient, ever new
and guide me on the path of truth...

I offer you my will, Lord:
bend it, shape it, mold it
and in the power of your grace conform it
to match your heart's desire...

I offer you my vote, Lord:
may it be a good decision,
may it speak a just word,
may it hasten your reign of peace
and bring life and liberty for all...

All this I offer, Lord,
and ask, in return,
the gift of your Spirit
to counsel and guide me...

Amen.

election