For many of us, Tuesday was a difficult day; the elections not going the way we had hoped and prayed. It appears R-74 will pass; though votes are still being counted. Therefore, it looks as if marriage is about to be redefined; no longer an institution between a man and a woman—in the state’s eyes, marriage is about to become genderless. And I-502 passed, doing so comfortably; making it legal to smoke pot. Our laws will reflect the passage of R-74 and I-502 on December 6.
How does that make you feel? Are you despondent? Angry? Frustrated? Disappointed? Do you want to move to the Bible-belt? I hear the weather is good there and the sweet tea goes down nice when swaying from your porch swing.
I would like to propose another response; actually, another emotion: compassion. As opposed to getting mad at those who just accelerated culture rot, we need to see them for who they are—they are lost. Now I know they will take great offense at the assertion; which is why we don’t need to throw the label in their face, wag our finger at them, and threaten them with hell. But we need to see that outcomes such as the ones we saw on Tuesday are a direct result of our neighbor’s spiritual condition.
Regarding homosexual marriage, they want to be their own god; to be their own arbiter of truth. Regarding marijuana, they want to legitimize their need for escape from the harsh realities of life. Without being aware, supporters of the referendum and supporters of the initiative diagnosed their own spiritual condition. They want God’s role. But when attempting to play deity, they inevitably find out they can’t; so escaping into a doobie’s smoke and haze sounds pretty good—it tends to make one forget.
A number of years ago, Christian artist Steve Camp sang: “Some people want to live within the sound of chapel bells. But I want to run a mission a yard from the gates of hell.” Sometimes I think the Northwest is a ½ yard from hell’s gate. That’s probably a good place to be, though; at least where God wants you and me right now—proclaiming His Gospel and loving our neighbor. The sweet tea and porch swing can come later.
Pastor Rich Hamlin November 8, 2012
Thank you, for putting it in perspective. Since Tuesday, I’ve been been trying to justiy moving to a “RedState”!
Thank you Pastor Rich for your compassionate and calm perspective. Your admonition helps me to remember why the Church is still present in this world…” to preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). And since we know from God’s Word that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church (Matthew 16:18), we have nothing to fear in going forth to preach the gospel, to our lost neighbors in the Pacific Northwest.
Thank you Pastor.
Many Christians were focused on the best of two evils. True I did not agree with Romney’s beliefs nor with Obama’s philosophy. God is in control. We were electing a president for a secular nation and leader of the free world not hiring a pastor leading a flock. We made our mistakes by not taking the time and voting. Consequently folks with different views will get to speak and vote in our behalf in any level of government. Christians do need to be involved in politics, from the moral perspective.