Dear Incarnation,
The last few years of political upheaval have left us weary and uncertain, and we carried many of those uncertainties into yesterday's Election Day. I loved how Johanna prayed for the election on Sunday, adapting a liturgy from Kayla Craig to help us pray thoughtfully about how we vote. I particularly appreciated the prayer to live out the values of God's kingdom "in our hearts, in our homes, in our choices, in our communities, in what we say and what we do, in what we cultivate and what we sow, long after the Election Day is over." Amen!
I often turn to Anglican priest, theologian, and writer David Taylor when I want contemporary, honest prayers for a particular occasion. Yesterday and again this morning, I read through his prayers for an Election Day. They are all wonderful, and I commend them to you as you continue to watch election returns in the coming days. I was particularly moved by his Prayer for the Pledge of Allegiance, a pledge to the coming kingdom of God which is our only true political home:
O Lord, to you whom all our loyalties are due, we pledge allegiance this day to the Lamb of God and to the upside-down Kingdom for which he stands, one holy nation, under God, the Servant King and the Prince of Peace, with liberty and justice for all without remainder. In the Triune Name we pray. Amen.
These prayers point us toward the now-and-not-yet reality of the kingdom of God. We are entering a season in which the church calendar also points us toward this reality. In a few weeks, on Nov 20, we will celebrate Christ the King Sunday. And the following Sunday, Nov 27, we will begin the season of Advent. Throughout Advent, we will cry out for the return of our King Jesus and for the fullness of God's kingdom to come.
Until then, we have two more weeks of our series on 1 Timothy. This Sunday, David will preach on 1 Tim 6:1-10 which presents another challenging topic — slavery — and another reminder of the evil and pain still present in the world. May this reminder stir our longing for the coming kingdom, "with liberty and justice for all without remainder."
Amen, Come Lord Jesus!
With love,
Amy
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