i went to a great concert last night. i don't know if i've ever mentioned it on here, but...i LOVE live music. more than any other kind of music. and i haven't had any in a long time. (unless you count me singing, all the time, alone in my apartment...and i don't. my neighbors probably want me to stop. if i can hear their clock chime every 15 minutes, i guess they can hear me too...it just doesn't seem like it...)
the art music justice tour. sara groves. sandra mccracken. derek webb. charlie peacock.
brandon heath?
weird addition. i'm not saying he's a loser. i'm just saying...i never would have put that together myself. it worked though. in a way.
not the point.
wonderful, relaxing, inspiring, quality, live music. i don't regret staying up "late" for it. even though when i got back from work today i discovered that i left my milk ON TOP of the fridge, because i am completely unable to function in the morning on less than 7-8 hours sleep. and, oh yeah, i spilled my cereal on me while i was eating it this morning. not a good morning.
that's not the point either.
in between sets they talked about different organizations that do their part in bringing justice to the world. freeing slaves. feeding the hungry. it was great.
that's not the point either. it should be. but it's not.
it's been a few years since i've heard derek webb share his thoughts on a controversial subject, so i forgot that i'm always supposed to have a pen and paper with me when he speaks.
he said some words about the upcoming election. and so did my Pastor on sunday. i'm waiting for that to be posted on the website so i can post it on here, because both of them were very encouraging to me...the mystical undecided voter. my Pastor reiterated that our church doesn't endorse a specific candidate, and that Christians should make informed decisions, and be involved in the political process. and voting is one way to do that. people fought for our right to vote. it's important.
but derek's comments reminded me...i am free in Christ. i am free to vote, and i am free not to vote. mainly because he said, "you are free not to vote."
he talked a minute about how by this point a lot of people have decided who to vote for, and that's great. however, there are others of us that are probably just leaning towards one of them. but still...there's something gnawing at us. something that bothers us about that candidate. something we can't fully support. something our conscience won't let us disregard. and he talked about how it's not good to make decisions that go against our conscience. so he said...pray about it. think about it. search the Bible for a mandate to vote. and when we don't find that mandate, to remember...we are free. Christian liberty. something won for us on the Cross, among other glorious riches.
it's a privilege to live in this country. it's a blessing, actually. like i said, people fought for the right to vote. it matters.
being an american is nice. but i'm a Christian first, before everything else. i can't vote for john mccain because he is against abortion, but pretend that greed doesn't influence his policies. i can't vote for barack obama because i like what he has to say about the middle class, but pretend that i don't care that more babies will die. (totally just oversimplified both of their platforms to two complex issues...i know...)
i'm not suggesting that Christians shouldn't vote, or that my conscience is purer than other Christians and that's why i can't bring myself to vote. no. a lot of wise and godly Christians are voting. i just can't make a decision, and that's ok. i'm using my voice to say i don't support either of them. and i'm completely free in Christ to not vote.
i'm looking into third party candidates, but if i can't figure them out...i'm embracing Christian liberty. and i feel so much more at peace about that than i have felt in the past couple of months trying to figure out who to vote for.
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2 comments:
I was there too and I went completely the other way with Derek Webb's comments. I get that he has a certain reputation for being "an activist and a rebel" but to imply that it's OK for Christians to sit out an election is akin to saying "you won't play by my rules so I'm taking my toys and going home".
People around the world give their lives for the right to vote in a democratic process--to be part of their own government. It seems to me that to shirk our responsibilities to each other in the election process is an insult to those bought our right to vote and to be participants in the "of, by and for" government with their lives and limbs.
I am glad you blogged this topic. I wanted to see if others "heard" what I heard at the concert...I'm not exactly unbiased on the topic of such magnitude.
Blessings,
Sarah
whoa, i'm pretty sure i don't know you! that's cool. a stranger reading my blog.
one thing i took away from that concert, and not just derek webb...is that an election is only ONE WAY for Christians to be involved in politics and the world. and possibly the most insignificant way. i think the theme of the concert did a great job of showing that. we do more to advance God's Kingdom, and bring justice to the world, and serve the oppressed...by actually being involved with organizations like the ones they talk about. they do more for the helpless and the oppressed (which is what the Bible commands us to do), than simply checking off someone's name on a ballot does (which is not something the Bible commands us to do).
but like i said in my post, i totally see the value in voting. and respect hat people have given their lives for me to have that right. i hear you.
i just wonder if everyone who is so passionate about voting, voting for people they don't even respect or like...are those people as passionate about creating change in their own communities when it's not an election year? because if not, that completely discredits everything they say about voting.
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