What Do You Think? Observations From The State Fair

You’re on your way to the fair, listening to the Christian radio station, when a political add comes on. The candidate ends his message with the statement, “I paid for this commercial with MY money that I earned from MY business that I started over 20 years ago.”

What do you think?

1) This is how it should be—politicians paying for their own adds—and people working for their own money and keeping it for themselves.

2) Good. I’m glad he paid for his own add. But if I understand the Christian story correctly, then nothing that we have is ours, but God’s. And what we do have should be freely offered back to God in thanksgiving and sacrifice, for meeting our basic needs and for meeting the needs of others—especially the poor and widowed. This candidate sounds a bit too proud of HIS resources—especially to be on the Christian radio station.

You’re at the fair and you observe that everyone wearing one political party’s stickers is Caucasian American while persons wearing the other political party’s stickers represent a more culturally diverse portion of America, though the majority is African American.

What do you think?

1) This makes perfect sense.

2) There is something majorly wrong with this picture.

Still at the fair, you’re standing by a political party’s booth waiting for the rest of your family to catch up with you. You have your two young children with you. You’re wearing the political party’s main sticker when someone wearing the opposing political party’s stickers walks by and pretends to shoot you through your sticker—which happens to be near your heart. He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t stop. He doesn’t laugh. He just air shoots and keeps on going.

What do you think?

1) That man was joking with me, silly jokester.

2) That man just pretended to shoot me because I was wearing a sticker he didn’t like. He didn’t know me from anyone, yet he pretended to shoot me in front of my children because I hold a differing opinion.

3) That man really doesn’t like my sticker or what my sticker stands for. His shooting motion had nothing to do with me but with my sticker.

4) That man was reaching out to gesture agreement through the “you got it right” point when he realized our stickers were different, so he folded his thumb and took down his hand and continued to walk.

You leave the fair glad that you went but sad for what you have seen.

What do you do?

1) Forget about it and move on. There’s nothing you can do anyway.

2) Weep and pray:

Almighty God, who has given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech you that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of your favor and glad to do your will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance; and from every evil way. Defend our liberties and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought here out of many tribes and tongues. Fill with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to your law, we may show forth your praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in you to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (adapted from Book of Common Prayer, Prayer for Our Nation)