Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Democrats & the Mission of the Church


During an all day district meeting today, a pastor asked some of us, "What is the difference between the Democrat platform and the church's platform?"

In his speech Monday night, Senator Ted Kennedy talked a lot about helping people who are in need. Without touting one party over the other, this pastor's question was meant to get us to think of what sets the church apart from secular movements which seek to do good in our world.

As you might imagine, this pastor followed his own question with an answer. "The difference is that we believe that Jesus is Lord and that's why the church seeks to help people who are in need."

My friend was making an excellent theological point. The church's mission in the world is rooted in it's understanding that Jesus is Lord. When we believe that Jesus is Lord because of his resurrection from the dead, this empowers us to be his Easter people and to work toward having a world that is filled with peace and justice.

To be real honest...these political parties with all their balloons and fanfare don't motivate me to make a difference in the world. What does motivate me is found in three simple words:

"Jesus is Lord."

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