The dangers of politics: You cannot serve God and Money

Every few years America enters the ritual of politics: mudslinging, lies, destruction of lives, and false promises.   Billions of dollars are spent every political cycle, not to get information out to people so that they can make informed decisions, but rather so that they might hate one of the candidates enough to vote for the other guy (that they really don’t like either).   It’s a fascinating time to be an American.   And it’s potentially one of the hardest times to be a Christian.

I say that because at no other time in American life are Christians more divided than during the political cycle.   Part of the problem is just the nature of our democratic system.   Christians, like other groups, are exploited during election seasons so they can vote for democrats, republicans, the left, the right, the tea party or the green party (I’m personally leaning toward the green-tea party).  We are exploited by 24 hour news, mass media, talk radio, and grassroots campaigns.   A lot of money is used to enrage, to anger, to manipulate, to bear false witness, to cause hatred – which ultimately only serves to inflame our passions not for the love of God, but for the fear of man.

What are Christians to do then during this season?   Not vote?  Whether or not you vote is up to you.   Who you vote for is up to you.  There are Christians on the left, right, the center, democratic, republican and in a variety of other political affiliations.   However as a Christian, whatever you do and whoever you vote for, you have the responsibility during the political season to love your fellow Christian no matter how they cast their vote.    Talk about who you like, pray about who you should vote for, pray for your country, and vote your conscience, but do not forget that your ultimate allegiance is to Our Father in heaven.

So when you talk about the tea party don’t call them names, when you talk about the President don’t bare false witness, when you disagree with the democrats don’t belittle them, and when you argue against republicans … argue against ideas not their humanity.   If Christians during this time, at the Advent and around America, can go through this cycle of politics loving those we disagree with, then we will prove that that we truly serve God and not the billions of dollars spent to control us and our passions.

In one way this is a counter politic.   And this counter politic finds its fullest expression in the liturgy every Sunday when we as the people of God pass the Peace to our neighbors, no matter what political affiliation they identify with.   For it is in the passing of the Peace of Christ that we affirm our first allegiance to the King of heaven and earth.   In a world starved for authority which truly helps people, there is the Peace of Christ.  In a world full of violence and uncertainty, there is the Peace of Christ.  In a world divided and angry, there is the Peace of Christ.   The exchange of the Peace of Christ is the greatest political statement we can ever make.  Let us then vote as we may this season, but let us allow the Peace of Christ to be our primary political statement for the Glory of God.

In the Name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Little Advent: the Church as Family

With the addition of new families coming and plugging into The Advent, I thought it would be good to write an article laying out the theological nature of our children’s ministry.  This may seem strange because often the focus is on “vision” or “purpose,” — and we have those things too.  But as a priest and parent (I’m a Father and a father), I want to illustrate an important theological aspect of our parish, to help us move forward together as more families join us.

Stanley Hauerwas, a theologian and ethicist, in talking about the church and children said this:

“We, as church, are ready to be challenged by the other. This has to do with the fact that in the church, every adult, whether single or married, is called to be parent. All Christian adults have a parental responsibility because of baptism. Biology does not make parents in the church. Baptism does. Baptism makes all adult Christians parents and gives them the obligation to help introduce these children to the Gospel. Listen to the baptismal vows; in them the whole church promises to be parent. In this regard the church reinvents the family.”

Within the Church today it’s fashionable to talk about “community,” and you may even hear me occasionally use the word.  There’s nothing wrong with the idea of community.  But if that’s all the church is, then it’s being less than what it’s called to be.   The Church, at its heart, is not simply a community of individuals but the family of God.   It is within this identity of the Church as “the family of God” that children are brought into a nurturing relationship with God and one another.   Within this living family children learn to say with us “Our Father who art in heaven.”  The Church is the place where our children experience the Family of God and begin to know the name of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Church then, as a whole, becomes responsible (both single and married) for the spiritual growth and discipleship of every child (and adult convert) within the parish.  Within the Anglican tradition we have vows similar to the ones Hauerwas refers to.   They appear in the Book of Common Prayer in the Rite of Baptism.   The baptized along with their “sponsor” (traditionally called Godparent) make vows to continue to pursue Christ throughout their lives.  And then the Church is asked by the one baptizing:

Will you who witness these vows do all in your power to support these persons in their life in Christ?

The Church responds, “We will.”  It is this “we will” that calls all of us as Christians to support with our lives and words those among us who are just starting out on their journey of faith.   This is why it is important for children to be among us, whether they are baptized or not.   If we as a parish know what we’re about, we will see children among us as gifts from God and work to ensure that with our lives and words they will know Christ — not in the abstract, but in the concrete reality of our lives together.

This is why we invite all kids four and above into the service during Communion.     We want our children with us during the Eucharist.  Through this part of the common worship we want them to learn with us how to worship God, what it means to be baptized, and how to give thanks to God for his saving acts.   In essence, we want our children to learn how to be a part of the family of God.   In the end we believe that this is one of the ways that we at the Advent can be faithful to Christ when he commands his disciples, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”  Luke 18:16