We want a king

Attention 

When our country began, we were so adverse to kings and big government that the 13 colonies created the Articles of Confederation which gave the Congress no taxing power and any state veto power. This became quickly apparent that the new country would not hold together without a stronger central government, but they also created three branches so there would be checks and balances for any one state, branch, person, or political party.  Also during this time, only 5% of the population could vote, they were men, of course, white, and land owners. I saw a Facebook post (don't remember the poster) who said that our democracy didn't start until 1965 when finally all US citizens were guaranteed the right to vote, and in some ways I agree with this post. 

Need

I have been think about this since the George W. presidency that we really want a king, not a president. Presidential powers have expanded greatly over the past 20 years, under both Democratic and Republican Presidents and Congresses. When it looked like President Obama was going to win in 2008, Kileen's brother Dan felt sorry for him because the expectations were too high and his popularity could only go down. Too many of us liberals, myself included, sat back believing the fight was over and a golden era was beginning. In 2016, when Trump won, many conservatives thought this would mean the end to liberalism and they could hold on to power forever, very black and white thinking on both sides. And when Trump lost last year, those who support him have attacked the foundation of our democracy, voting, calling a free and fair election a fraud, casting doubt on future elections, and believe that they can legislate to choose the right voters to secure their power until God's kingdom comes.

Satisfaction

Let us remember the story of Israel starting in Genesis with Abraham and Sarah being chosen to be God's people so that world may be blessed and their journey and trials, their grandson Jacob's trials and journey which gave us the 12 patriarchs and ended with them and their families in Egypt. The story jumps 400 years where those families are enslaved, crying out to God, and freed to go to the Promised Land. The journey takes 40 years and God is with them over 200 years through the judges to protect and guide them. Finally, the people have had enough and want to have a king. All the other nations have a king and they want one too. Instead of a people relying on God, they want to rely on a king. 

Samuel, a judge and prophet, tries to dissuade them and tells them all the bad things the king will do to them. The king will take their best fruits, produce, animals, daughters and sons, and tax them for his own wealth. The people are adamant that they want a king, no matter how badly the king acts. They didn't want to rely on God, they didn't want to be responsible, they wanted to just be like every other nation, no matter if it was better or worse, they just didn't want to be different. 

God, realizing they would only learn from experience, gave into them and had Samuel anoint Saul as the first king. And when Saul did all the stuff God warned the people of Israel about, God had Samuel anoint David to take his place, who was better in only that King David often, but not always, recognized his mistakes and hubris and humbled himself when corrected by God through the prophets. But the kingdom quickly fell apart as it focused on wealth, power, and security, not on caring for the least of these, not insuring justice and equity for all, and turning it's back on God who loved and loves them, seeking other gods and ways to build themselves up and get them what they want.

Vision

It has been 3,000 years since Samuel and King David and we have seen throughout history the mistakes, consequences, and horrors of giving the people what they want just because they are insistent and loud. So, just because 25 percent of Americans and over 50 percent of Republicans believe the election of 2020 was not free and fair, but rigged and loaded with corruption, doesn't mean we should give them what they want, either re-instating Trump as President or changing our voting laws that will adversely affect future elections next year and the Presidential in 2024. I am not here to damn the Republicans or praise the liberals. Any group, whether political or religious can be a blessing to God's world or be a curse. 

And I don't think we are fighting one person or one party. We are fighting for the future and soul of our nation, and in some ways the world, as we do have the power to destroy our world or act mightily to work to save it. Yes, we have to stop the Big Lie that Trump somehow won the election or that the election was somehow rigged and needs correction so voting needs to be further restricted. But we need to go deeper and not just fight the people and political party, but look to the powers and principalities that have given rise to our current situation. Though the Declaration of Independence proclaimed all men created equal with inalienable rights, the vast, vast majority of American Citizens were not allowed to participate fully in our government and society for most of our nation's existence. The right to vote, hold property, and have their rights recognized in the first 10 Amendments is still a struggle today for many people of color, LGBTQ, religious minorities, and people with disabilities. It is based on a theology and theory that white Christianity in modern day America is the epitome of world history, of world success, and world power. Anything else and all else is a cheap copy at best, drivel at most, and, at its worst, against God and the work of Satan because it is not white evangelical American Christianity. We have to humble ourselves, let go of that privilege and the fear that without the power it has in this world, we will become and have nothing. 

We have to recognize, believe, and proclaim that God loves all humans, people of color, sexes, families, peoples, cultures, and nations. And the judgement to be made of whether we are with God, not whether or not God is with us, is if the poor are helped, hungry fed, naked clothed, sick and those in prison visited AND justice is done, mercy is given, and we walk humbly with God, not exalting ourselves and the ways we identify ourselves. Not our flag, our anthem, our form of government, our theology, our beliefs, or where or how we worship determines our relationship with God.

Action

So how do we do this, strive for a better nation, future, and world? First of all, we have to ground ourselves in love. We have to make sure that we are removing any hate, any fear, any racism, anything that separates us from the love of God. Then, we love the world, not in the love of American or our best ideals, but in the love of neighbor, both the poor and the rich, the Democrat, Republican, and Independent, both the white and the people of color, evangelical Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Natives. Until we can see each person, even our enemies, as a child of God, loved by God, it is hard to treat them with any kind of mercy, compassion, and help them let go of their own hate, fears, and sin. 

Second, we do what we can to help stop the bleeding of our nation by standing up for those who votes are being disenfranchised, for those who are told they aren't enough. We proclaim in word and deed that the greed, lust, and power of the false idol of racism and patriarchalism, which is epitomized in the practitioner of Trump is no longer welcome in Christ's church, in our country, and in the world. We continue working towards the completion where all are endowed with inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and that voting becomes easier for every citizen and true justice is realized, especially for the people of color and the marginalized. 

Third, we do not damn to hell or outside of community those who believe that world will only be saved by Trump, the White Evangelical Church, and Jesus their personal Savoir. Most of us have family and friends who believe this. We may or may not still have a good or civil relationship with them. We have to find ways of building the bridges, healing the wounds. If we only yell at or ignore or curse them, then we only feed their fear and their hate. We don't give them a free pass, but we love and care for them. And yes, it is as difficult and hard and frustrating as we do imagine it will be.

Finally, let us realize that it isn't a king, a person, a nation, or even God who will insure a better tomorrow, it is a daily walk of justice, mercy, and humbleness that truly brings peace into our hearts, communities, nations, and the world. It is ordinary people, leaders, followers, outcasts, and those who have power, working together under the Golden Rule, treat others as you want to be treated, that will truly change this world and keep it safe. We can wish and hope for a Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a Mahatma Gandhi, that President Biden, or the next President will finally fix all we see that is wrong. We can ask God for a king or a savior. However, if we truly want a better democracy, nation, and world, then we have to do the work and get others to help as well. It's what God tried to teach through Samuel, what Jesus tried to teach his disciples, and what our Founders thought about when they built into the Constitution ways to change it for the creation of a more perfect (or mature and just) union. Amen.