I Saw Jesus
Among the poll workers
Heads down, gloves on, concentrating on one simple task: counting the individual votes that make up a collective decision. The Governor, Lt. Governor, and Secretary of the Commonwealth of PA all spoke to their duties of receiving votes, protecting votes, counting votes. Beautiful. Peaceful. Government.
The live-cams showed busy people. Busy people are happy people. Busy people pursuing a simple, righteous purpose are the picture of peace. So I thought of Jesus. “The government will be upon His shoulder” and “Of peace there will be no end.” We think of the kingdom of God as a blazing future advent, but Jesus said the kingdom is “at hand”. It’s here. It may be occluded by the praying, shouting, gun-toting pretenders banging on the glass, but the kingdom is evident to those with ears to hear. The kingdom of God is peace.
Pray at home, not like the Pharisee who made a show of his praying or the raucous conspiracists outside polling stations. The fine distinction between citizen of earth and citizen of heaven is lost on most. It’s good to be a civic minded voter. It’s good to be a person of faith. But dragging a reluctant God into your demonstration is done for yourself and no one else. It’s not pious or praiseworthy. And God’s not in it.
