Conventions can be
exciting events and make for good TV watching.
As a young teenager I discovered books by Fletcher Knebel and read his
political novels Dark Horse and Convention (and, of course, Seven Days in May) avidly. Most of the suspense has gone out of
conventions nowadays, but it’s still a spectacle of color and energy, along
with moments of high drama and low drama (e.g., Bill Clinton and Clint Eastwood;
choose your order).
Ezra Klein wrote recently
in the Washington Post that “Parties,
and the platforms they produce, often matter more than the candidates.” He
argues that party platforms contain the political vision that each party aims
to govern by. The great oratory of one candidate
or the fumbling speech of another matter much less than the political philosophy
of the party itself.
The Apostle Paul said much
the same thing. He acknowledged to the
Corinthians that he was “untrained in speech” and that others found his oratorical
skills “contemptible.” Yet his message was the gospel of Jesus Christ, crucified
and resurrected, the power of salvation and the full revelation of God. Now that was a platform!
Similarly, I believe that
one of the key planks in the platform of Jesus Christ is the Sermon on the
Mount (Matthew 5-7), especially the Beatitudes (5:1-12). Here is the vision of life in the Kingdom of
God. Here is the shape of the community
that God is bringing into being. Blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, the
merciful, the peacemakers. Blessed are
those who mourn and open their hearts to the pain of the world. Blessed are
those famished for the realm of God’s righteousness. You shall be filled! God will win.
And God’s governance will triumph.
That’s one reason why Jesus
Is My Candidate. He outlines the
way to life that far transcends partisan campaigning. Arthur Boers reminds us, “A Christian’s first
loyalty is to God’s Reign, and when that erodes we are in deep, deep trouble.”
So let’s stay out of
trouble. Join us at any service in the
month of September, and help make Jesus your candidate for the highest office in every
land.
Pastor Larry
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