Dear Glen Mar friends,
As we prepare for July 4, I am in prayer for our nation and our leaders, and for all of us, as we ponder our nation’s complicated and tumultuous history and our hope for the future. We are in many ways divided as a nation, but this is hardly a new condition for any student of American history. We are called first to be faithful Christians… and as part of living out our faith, to bring the best of who we are to the public arena, to help our country live out its highest ideals and ideas as much as we possibly can. I’m so proud of and grateful for the ways so many Glen Mar folks serve their God and their country, often in unseen and unappreciated ways.
Preachers are fond of saying “The Eagle doesn’t fly higher than the Cross.” And that is correct. Part of what it means to be under the authority of the Cross is to stand against authoritarianism, and to stand for democracy and the freedom to disagree. In a democracy, sometimes liberals “win” and sometimes conservatives “win” on various issues. We have arguments, sometimes loud and messy ones! In an authoritarian situation, a dictatorship, people are not allowed to disagree. There are no free and fair elections and even the majority has no voice. Authoritarianism is something our forefathers fought against (no matter whether it comes from the Right or from the Left).
As pastors all around the country look with trepidation at another presidential election year, I am committed to praying daily for our nation and for our people, and for those high ideals our ancestors lifted up as foundational to our republic. I hope you will join me in that commitment. As a soldier of the Cross, who will never tell you who to vote for (or not vote for), I ask that we all refrain in our communications and social media from personal attacks, and that we might be united in our commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and free and fair elections, regardless of political party.
Glen Mar has some of the finest Christians, public servants and patriots I’ve ever met, so I’m sure I’m “preaching to the choir” here. But if you disagree wholeheartedly, know that the beauty of America is that you have the right to do so… I’m thinking I will see if I am needed as a poll worker. That feels like something Jesus might want me to do… given that I’m nonpartisan by vocation anyway!
See you in Church for prayer and praise, for Holy Communion, and for a few thoughts on what it means to be here, “For such a time as this.”
See you in church,
Pastor Mandy
