Have you voted yet?! Vote. Read the Gospels, pray, do your research, vote.

Put your prayers in the ballot box and keep your faith in God alone for salvation. No politician or political party can claim ownership of the Word of God. Look at where each candidate stands on the issues that affect the types of folks Jesus spent the most time with- the least of these, the outcast. Cast your vote with those outcasts in mind. What kind of a society do you want for your own kin, for the next generation?? Vote to make your voice heard. If you don’t vote, the choices are made for you, and you have no right to complain about the outcomes!

Did you know that directly across the street from Capitol Hill is the UMC Church and Society headquarters? That illustrates how involved we Methodists are in lobbying for the causes we stand for. Years ago, I had the honor of attending a young clergy conference hosted by the Church and Society of the General Board of Discipleship. I was in excellent company, my friends Rev Edgar Bazan (now Dr Rev Bazan, serving FUMC Celina) and Rev Mitchell Boone (now Senior Pastor of FUMC Dallas) were also invited by then presiding Bishop McKee to represent the now legacy North Texas Conference. We three young eager passionate pastors were immersed in learning how exactly the UMC witnesses our grace-filled faith in the political arena. I remember hearing from Church and Society staff that specialized in diverse areas of agency, such as; immigration, gun control, environmental issues, and criminal justice. I was already familiar with our Social Principles but learning took on a much deeper level being in D.C. about a football field away from where the sausage is made.

The most memorable experience of the trip however was going to a so-called ‘Mexican’ restaurant in D.C. that the natives were so, so proud of… let’s just say this San Antonio boy sat across from Edgar who was born in Mexico… and we both tried to keep from laughing and remain polite, gracious guests as we picked at the worst excuse for ‘Mexican’ food I’ve ever had. But then the next evening I had Ethiopian food for the first time and I loved the flavors, that is once I got used to the no fork and knife concept. The cultural gumbo of our nation’s capitol was the perfect setting to take tackle the social issues that have caused divisiveness in God’s very good Creation of humankind.   

I share this to show that we are called as United Methodists to support our Social Principles. Last week I shared the UMC Social Principle against the death penalty. In the next few blogs, I will focus on other important Social Principles and updated stances with current events. For example, officially the UMC is against data centers for all kinds of environmental and economic reasons. In fact, preparing to vote is the perfect time to review the UMC Social Principles.

Of course, one of the neat things about being in our church is if you disagree with one or several of our Social Principles, we will not kick you out! And no matter how you vote, who you vote for, I hope that at FUMC Farmersville you feel like a beloved child of God and you are empowered to “transform the world into the kin-dom of God.”

Ideally voting for candidates whom you believe stand for the same concerns Jesus would will aid us in the sometimes- gurling, agonizing, slosh of a march towards a more just and free world for all. Each baby step is important, so don’t get discouraged, take heart knowing in our small, humble way we can be working towards something as magnificent as aiding in creating a society that more closely resembles God’s Kin-dom where all are family. So Vote! And love your neighbor who voted differently from you!