Focaccia (Italy)

Today our church celebrated World Communion Sunday, which if you are familiar with the Christian calendar, was actually the 1st Sunday in October. Our church, Parkway UCC, is a bustling, busy place though, so for practical reasons, it was delayed until today. John helped serve communion, which included bread from Mexico, Italy, Germany, USA, and Ethiopia! I baked Ambesha yesterday to contribute, my favorite recipe from Extending the Table, but actually took the Italian focaccia during the service, and felt moved to make my own loaves for our meal tonight. It is inspiring to worship in a place that believes the global community begins within its very walls.

So was I moved during the service to also consider my many responsibilities as a member of the global community, including those in this upcoming election. I have very strong feelings about candidates and issues, some of which I have shared in this blog, but in order to be true to my faith and my God, I must cast my votes for those candidates and issues that act and uphold the work God wants us to do in the world.

This is what it means to me to be a spiritual voter.

First and foremost, I must vote November 6th. God gave me a brain and the resources to educate myself in the face of propaganda, fear and deceit, and no amount of ignorance, busyness, apathy or anger should ever be excuse to stay home on election day.

I must vote to serve the needs of the poor, the marginalized, the sick, the wounded, the weak, the many who suffer in the shadows of greed, ambition, and the bottom line. God's work is not clean or comfortable. It is risky, dirty, exhausting, expensive work that doesn't stop until human suffering is erased from the earth.

I must vote to preserve rights for all people, not to take them away. God created a diverse and robust humanity, but didn't grant certain people privilege over others. That is a human construct born of twisted words to justify our prejudices and status over those who were created differently than we were.

I must vote for social justice, education and equality, for all people. God didn't send a politician, lawyer or corporate big-wig as a model for how to live. He sent a teacher who modeled what true compassion looks like. It is easy for those of us with privilege to take for granted that which we have always had, but it takes courage and faith to keep inching forward in the face of complacency.

Finally, because it bears repeating, I must vote. As you all must vote.