Devotion for Wednesday, November 9 (Election Week)

As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 

There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; 

for all of you are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3: 27-28)

(Ed. note:  I am writing this at 1am, so I don't know "officially" who won, so hopefully you will excuse the general tone of the following devotion as I need to get some sleep!)

Yesterday I got up early to go and vote at my polling station.  I was pleasantly surprised to be waiting in a long line.  I was excited, as I am every time I vote, to see our democracy in action.  Indeed, our nation came out to vote in record numbers and this is a sign that our democracy is healthy and vibrant.

Of course, many are elated today and others are saddened.  This is the case each time we have a Presidential election and perhaps even more so this year after such a contentious election. Friendships have been strained. Relationships have been marginalized.  Acrimony and frustration have been the norm unfortunately.

Yet, we are in this together as Americans.  Perhaps your candidate won. Perhaps your candidate lost. However, today we move forward as citizens.  And we move forward as Christians.

I chose the above text from Galatians several weeks ago. It shares what I want to say fully and completely this morning after the election. Scholars believe that these words from St. Paul were part of the baptismal rite of early Christians.  And notice the tone and tenor of the words.

Instead of focusing on those definitions that separate us from one another (i.e. ethnicity, social status, gender, etc.) we are reminded to find unity amidst our diversity to find community in Christ. I invoke these words for all of us today.

I pray that all of us can find it in our hearts to look beyond our differences and instead find unity in both our citizenship but even more profoundly in our baptism. In our baptism we have been united to one another as brothers and sisters. As Christians, we are called to seek unity with each other. This is what our baptism challenges us to do and what our Lord invites us to pursue.

As we do, when we do, we will find that the many things that divide us are overcome by the One who unites us. And we will find new life, resurrection life, with each other. And this will be the most wonderful blessing we can ever experience!