You may have noticed

You may have noticed that there is an election coming up. Maybe you've even voted already. I read that some have already voted several times. The pastor in me hopes it isn't any of you and prays failure & humbling of that cheating method. The issues boil down to just what sort of country we will have for the future; in terms of economics, morals, religion and security. Frankly, one offers a complete reset (almost a reversal) of the meaning of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" with all the earmarks of a literary dystopia and its preachy & self-righteous removal of individual, property and religious rights while demanding that life has no value unless it is personally convenient. Of course, a large contributor to the problem is the manipulation of information in a way that would make Hitler envious. All this in a cocktail of pandemic panic which is also confusing in terms of facts and personal rights. Nervous times.
What is a person to do? Hope for the best & trust in the resilience of the American Republic? Certainly. (Note: We are not a democracy--the Founders knew from history that democracies fail because they end up being run by the biggest loud-mouths and liars, or else the people get hold of the wallet and the nation goes broke.) But the Christian knows better than to think that human leadership or plans will fix everything. The Christian knows that we the people may have formed a more perfect union, but that it is not and cannot be entirely perfect because it's up to people to implement.
Christians have greater influence than griping or even voting. What the Christian must do first is what the world says is a last resort--pray. Recently, some 50,000 (including the Vice President & his wife) went to Washington, D.C. to pray together for America. Some 3.8 million from 60 countries joined in via tech. Time of great unrest is also a time people should get interested in real, eternal peace. When people fear for their lives from virus or violence, many will wonder if this life is all there is, despite the best efforts of "know-it-alls" who declare that Eternity isn't real. Of course, the Holy Spirit is responsible for this rebellion against the mundane hopelessness of Satan.
Our prayers matter in this world. Christ matters in this world and the next. Prayers are not a last resort --they are the stuff of Revival in individuals and in nations. I believe current conditions can open America for a movement of the Spirit of God among us, and God's people need to ask for it. So I encourage you to have a classical Thanksgiving--one of national repentance for being a nation that thinks we'll do just fine without God. May you have a Thanksgiving praying and recognizing God for his gift of Christ and the freedoms and opportunities Christianity has given. A Thanksgiving of asking God how we may best serve him and not just food. These are the best things to elect this month!                      Pastor Geoff                                                                                                                            "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." Proverb 19: 21