…..from Pastor Mathew Swora, of Zion Mennonite Church, paid for through the time he put into writing this essay (about $3.75 worth). It is political in that it has to do with our public lives, as well as our personal ones. Any other similarity to the upcoming political statements or events at any convention of any political party this summer is unintentional, and probably a mistake. This announcement is brought to you on behalf of a party that will not be represented on this November’s election ballot, nor can it be. Any party or politician who tells you otherwise, overtly or subtly, is either lying or sincerely mistaken. That party is the Kingdom of God, and its candidate for highest office is Jesus of Nazareth, the Prince of Peace.
No human political party, no worldly government, and no office holder, however noble, honest and self-sacrificial (and there are many such) can fully represent the platform of the Kingdom of God, nor take the place and do the job of the Prince of Peace in bringing us true justice, security and peace. Do not let the almost messianic language emanating from any political party, candidate or convention this year fool you into thinking otherwise.
The platform of the Kingdom of God party, as stated by its standard-bearer, is “to preach good news to the poor….proclaim freedom for the prisoners….recovery of sight for the blind….to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (Luke 4: 18-19) until God makes “all things new (Rev. 21:5)” and the “kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ (Rev. 11:15).”
Jesus of Nazareth, the Kingdom of God standard-bearer, has already won the election of Earth’s king by voice vote outside Jerusalem, when he rode humbly and peacefully into town on a donkey, to the acclaim of the poor, the powerless, children and infants. Earth’s very stones were ready to join in, too. He was enthroned in the glory of self-sacrificial love on the cross of Calvary, was crowned by God at the empty tomb, and took his throne at his ascension to heaven. We are awaiting the final inauguration celebration when he returns, at which point all human governments will give way to his.
In the meantime, we of the Kingdom of God party declare and demonstrate our primary loyalty to Jesus and his government by living and loving as he did. While some governments may consider this primary loyalty to be treason of the highest sort, the expression and fruits of this loyalty should give no government or leader any reason for fear, unless their rule depends upon our acquiescence to, or participation in, violence, evil, and the worship of the nation and its leaders. In which case, we will accept the costs of witnessing to the Kingdom of God and Jesus, its Prince of Peace, by continuing to live nonviolently in love, peace and justice.
As for all human parties and politicians, we wish them well inasmuch as they seek to align their policies and platforms with those of the Kingdom of God, even while we understand and expect that human institutions can only approach the platform and policies of God’s Kingdom in the crudest and most conflicted ways. Why should they do any better than we who claim allegiance to the Kingdom of God? And why should we, who claim this holy allegiance, expect the world to do our jobs for us? To worldly governments and their leaders, we offer our prayers on their behalf, our blessings and a loving respect that is identical for the most powerful president to the poorest pauper, a loving respect which is based not on ideology but on our common humanity, as creatures made in God’s image.
To all parties and candidates we also issue also this warning: Do not invoke the name of God without also genuinely seeking to do the will and the work of God (see the Kingdom of God platform above). Otherwise, you are using God’s name in vain, a commandment with a terrible price for breaking (Exodus 20:7) In the spirit of the prophets of ancient Israel, we say that it would be better to leave God out of your rhetoric, while seeking to do justice and mercy, than to use religious and pious rhetoric, while seeking war and exploiting the poor.
As for the ballot this November, The Kingdom of God issues no endorsements, knowing that our Prince and his policies can never be fully or fairly represented by any human political institution. We do, however, warn all citizens of the power of fear, and urge us all to resist being stampeded by fear-mongering into uncritical acceptance of any scapegoating or antagonistic “us-versus-them” thinking of the political left or right. We walk by “faith working through love (Gal. 5:6),” and not fear. We will also pray for all the parties and persons involved. After the election, we will love and pray for whoever takes office, whether we agree with his or her policies or not. We will also cooperate with every policy and platform that conforms with the Great Commandment, to “love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31),” and will take any such law and regulation as the starting point of our obligation to love our neighbor, and not the end of it. But be fully aware that, for us in the Kingdom of God party, the neighbor whom we are to love includes our enemies.
We understand why worldly political campaigns involve making many promises, many of which are impossible to keep or contradictory to each other. But we do not expect of any office holder or government the full measure of things which only Jesus has demonstrated the ability to deliver. We accept, with some sorrow and grace, that all efforts to do good within our worldly kingdoms are fraught with bedeviling blindness, dilemmas, limits and contradictions. We all are only human in a fallen world. Therefore, we will trust each other’s choice, when it comes to dealing with the moral dilemmas of whether to vote, and who to vote for, this next November, and will not limit our citizenship in this or any other nation to the pulling of a lever on Election Day. Instead, we will strive ever “to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8),” every day, before and after November 8, 2016. That is our political platform in this time of transition, between the day of Christ’s ascension and the day when all the world, and even his enemies, have become his footstool, the last and greatest enemies being not our nation’s enemies, nor our own, but enmity itself, and finally even death.
Grace, peace and love to all. No exceptions.