You may have heard we had an election recently in the USA.

Up front, and in the name of full disclosure – this is going to be political. I’m not going to disclose my political affiliation, my political philosophy, or my personal political opinions – most of you would not like them. What I do want to focus on is what has been called the responsibility of Christians in the public square – or if you want to be more down to earth, how can you be Christian and live with the current crop of politicians?

Some of you voted for Trump for good political reasons of your own. Some of you voted for Clinton for good political reasons of your own. Some of you voted for other candidates or didn’t vote for some political reasons of your own. You were all wrong.

This thinking that’s taken us off course has been going on for longer than you may suspect.

I Samuel 8

⁴ Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, ⁵ and said to him, “You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways, they take bribes and pervert justice; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.” ^… Samuel prayed to the Lord, ⁷ and the Lord said to Samuel, …⁸ Just as they have done to me,^[a] from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. ^…show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”

¹⁰ So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹ He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to be foot soldiers running before his chariots; ¹² and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. ¹³ He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. ¹⁴ He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. ¹⁵ He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. ¹⁶ He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle^[b] and donkeys, and put them to his work. ¹⁷ He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. ¹⁸ And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

¹⁹ But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, “No! but we are determined to have a king over us, ²⁰ so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.” ²² The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and set a king over them.”

And everything Samuel warned the people about, came to pass.

Saul raised armies and was continuously at war. David continued the conquest, confiscating land, sealing alliances by multiple marriages and holding hostages – and then there’s the most advertised bit of adultery of all time. Solomon built the Temple, a palace, and huge public projects throughout the kingdom on the slave labor and oppressive taxes of the people. Throughout the northern kingdom, prophets in succession decry the corruption, economic inequality, and oppression of the poor.

The test of how righteous a society was before God was how it treated the widows, orphans, and the strangers among them. In other words, how they treated those who had no power in their society. In one worldview, how we treat the least, the lost, the sinners, and the stranger. A view in which Jesus said love your neighbor, and even love your enemy.

And that’s our foundation for acting in the public square:

We can argue the merits of diverse economic theory. But the question the theory needs to answer is does it provide a living wage for all; does it provide for those who are truly in need?

We can argue the merits of different national security policies. But the question the policy needs to answer is does it welcome the stranger living among us; does it acknowledge the open invitation of Lady Liberty and the diversity on which this nation once prided itself?

One of the most important functions of the Church in addressing the world as it is today is that we are a safe community of discourse. A place where people can openly talk of their fears, doubts, questions, concerns, hopes, and joys. A place where people can exchange ideas and receive help giving meaning to the muddle of their lives. A place where people of all ages can engage in dialog about the changes in their lives, their community and the world and begin to come to terms with those changes. A place where there is a community of learners all engaged in the process of hearing the Word of God and seeking appropriate ways to apply the Word to their lives.