As I write this article, it is the day before our national election. When this is published, I hope that the results are clear and defined.
Uncertainty creates a lot of tension in our collective hearts. It does not always bring out the best in people’s actions.
As I prepare to vote, I am also preparing to preach on Sunday. At the church in which I serve, we follow a lectionary, which is a defined set of scriptures that we follow. This Sunday will be the story of the widow’s mite.
For those who may not be familiar with it, it is found both in the Gospel of Mark and of Luke. I’ll be using the text from Mark 12:41-44. Jesus notes that a widow gives her last two coins to the temple, and Jesus seemingly praises her for her sacrificial giving.
Generosity, of course, is an important part of a Christian’s life. But I always wondered if the widow gave out of devotion, or if she gave out of desperation or exhaustion or surrender. Perhaps she was just done fighting to survive and gave her last bit of hope to the temple. The writer of the gospel of Mark doesn’t share an explanation of motivation, so we, as the readers, are left to hold it up to the light and consider it from all angles.
Many people may be exhausted after the tension felt in American culture over these last months of the campaign season. I know I’m tempted to think of my vote as a last desperate attempt to participate in a democratic process that feels too big and too distant for my voice to be heard. I relate to this widow in that I want to throw in my last two cents and leave it to God. Can you relate?
Well, I don’t think that is how God invites us to participate in the world around us. In the Lutheran tradition, we believe that God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ frees us from sin and death but ties us to each other and our neighbor. We are called, in our vocation, to serve our neighbor in our lives, to share Jesus’ love and hope. One of the ways we do that in the public sphere is by voting, but it is not the only way … by far.
No matter the outcome of the election, there will be people who are unsatisfied with the results.
Voting is not the only way in which to live out your values in the public sphere. Each one of us can offer more for the sake of our faith and our neighbors. I encourage each of us to look deeper. Our generosity and engagement don’t end with an election. Our neighbors continue to need us.
Find a way to make a difference, even if it is small. The Food Shelf would love to expand their hours to serve more people but more volunteers are needed. Redeemed Remnants is also looking for help.
There are opportunities to help at the schools in various booster groups.
We live off of I-90, a known human and drug trafficking corridor, and there are opportunities to educate ourselves and others.
There are people who are lonely or struggling with depression who could use someone to lean in to them with care and friendship.
As we watch the election grow smaller in the rear-view mirror of time, we continue to have a choice in the type of world in which we want to live. We can choose to participate and give what we have, just like the widow in this gospel story.
We can choose to love our neighbor as ourselves. We can choose to serve our community with our hands and feet. We can choose to set aside our complaints, frustration, or exhaustion to make a difference for the sake of each other.
Choose one thing today.