Living in the Spirit
July 5, 2016
Scripture Reading: Amos 7:7-17
And Amaziah said to Amos, ‘O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.’
Then Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”
‘Now therefore hear the word of the Lord.–Amos 7:12-16a
Amaziah, the priest, works to run Amos out of town for challenging the King of Israel. Think of the clergy who blindly backed Hitler. What is it that each of us are called to do and be in our world today even though we may only be herdsmen or arborists, teachers or electricians, nurses or police officers?
I am writing this on the 4th of July when we citizens of the USA celebrate the founding of a country dedicated to the principles of a democracy ruled by elected representatives.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed* (Emphasis Added)
In 2014 in Oklahoma, Statewide, 40.7 percent of registered voters showed up, the lowest recorded rate since 1962. Oklahoma started tracking voter registration at the state level in 1960**. The estimated percent of the voting-eligible population that voted was 30%***. When we give up our right to consent to the type of government we want, we are turning our responsibility over to special interest groups and lobbyist.
If you are withdrawing from the messiness of democracy because you are already tired of the presidential race, let me remind you that much of the problems in our government lay at the feet of Congress and state legislatures. If we truly seek the Common Good for all, we need to elect representatives to these bodies who demonstrate a willingness to work together for the Common Good and not be led by the will of special interest or lobbyist.
As the fireworks end and we all head back to our daily walk, we need to take with us not only our dedication to a democracy that protects our freedom of religion but we also need to examine ourselves to see if we are holding up our end of the bargain.
Prayer: Lord, help me to carefully discern the candidates who are most committed to establishing the Common Good and to give them the support they need to make it a reality. Amen.
*From the Declaration of Independence see athttp://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html
**Oklahoma Watch see at http://oklahomawatch.org/2014/11/04/oklahoma-sees-the-lowest-voter-turnout-for-governor-since-2002/
***United States Election Project see at http://www.electproject.org/2014g
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.