Written by Shari Miller-Rowe, HNO Intern from Trinity Lutheran Seminary
We might all be feeling the political tension of the upcoming election. Political campaigns are designed to tap into our fears for the future. This year we have seen the use of half-truths or alternative facts to try to secure political votes. We may be anxious because of all the hate speech we are subjected to in this election cycle.
As we think about this political tension, let us look at a passage from the Orthodox Jewish Bible. This is a story where people were lacking in political power. From the Jewish and Christian historical context, this passage is set as the Hebrew people are in exile from their native land because they have been conquered by the Babylonians - a foreign political power. The Hebrews find themselves as exiles, immigrants, and foreigners in the land of Babylon.
Jeremiah 29:4-7
“ 4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I
carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 ‘Build houses and settle
down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons
and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in
marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in
number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of
the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it,
because if it prospers, you too will prosper.’”
What does God tell these people to do when they have lost all political power? God says live your life. Carry on. In fact, God says increase and prosper. We all hope that we will not see issues and measures that we care about fail this election cycle. We hope that we will not see candidates that we feel are harmful to our society elected. We want elected officials that agree with us on issues that are important to us. But whether our candidates win or lose, whether our issue passes or fails, whether we see scary political ideologies come to power or not, we are called to do the same thing: live our lives and carry on. There is a call to increase and prosper. We are to keep advocating for what we know is right whether we gain political ground or lose it. We are to continue doing what we are doing even if we see the rise in scary political agendas.
This passage says seek peace. We are going to need to seek peace with those who we strongly disagree with. This passage ties the prosperity of the exiles to the prosperity of the city in which they live. Likewise, we need to keep working for the prosperity of all even when it means working with those that offend our politics. It may have felt hard for the Hebrews in this passage to pray for the city in which they were held captive. This meant praying for the people and institutions that had removed their power. Likewise, we are called to pray for the political systems that we disagree with and the political leaders that oppose our ideas. We do this for the sake of the prosperity of all. We would be remiss if we did not recognize that the Hebrews in this passage were the foreigners. Those who had the least amount of power were called to be in community with and seek the prosperity of those with the most amount of power. How unfair! The least that we can do today is to continue to seek the prosperity of those who lack power and agency in our country. The least that we can do is seek the best for the least among us.
Prayer:
God of Power and All Authority,
May we partner with you in this political season so that we may
not lose sight that we are called to carry on, live our lives, and seek the
prosperity of all no matter what the outcome of any election. Make us
instruments of peace and tools of disruption to bring about prosperity for
all society. Open our eyes to ways to bring about increase and agency for
all. Hear our prayers as we ask that you give direction to all our leaders
and to all who advocate for a better society.
In the name of the Holy God,
Amen.