Election day communion

I saw this thing about 'Election Day Communion' the other day, and I think it is simply brilliant. I can't believe no one has thought of doing something like this until now (unless, of course, they have; and I just didn't know about it. In which case I can't believe I haven't heard about it until now).

The idea is that some people will vote for this candidate, some for that, some will choose not to vote at all... but as Christians, can we come together at the end of election day and choose to remember something different. And this is what they ask us to choose:

• to remember that real power in this world — the power to save, to transform, to change – ultimately rests not in political parties or presidents or protests but in the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus;
• to remember that, through the Holy Spirit, this power dwells within otherwise ordinary people who as one body continue the mission of Jesus:  preaching good news to the poor, freeing the captives, giving sight to the blind, releasing the oppressed, and proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor (Luke 4:16-21).
• to remember that freedom — true freedom — is given by God and is indeed not free; it comes with a cost and it looks like a cross;
• to remember our sin and need to repent;
• to remember that the only Christian nation in this world is the Church, the holy nation that crosses all human-made boundaries and borders;
• to remember that our passions are best placed within the passion of Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2);
• to remember that we are not to conform to the patterns of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2);
• to remember that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness;
• and to re-member the body of Christ as the body of Christ, confessing the ways in which partisan politics has separated us from God and each other.

As they say, "One of the goals of the Election Day Communion Campaign is to build unity in Christ despite theological, political, and denominational differences."

I like this. A lot. I'm pretty sure we will be doing it at our church. Since our church building is also used as a polling place, I'm hoping some people will see the signs and want to join us. Good on these folks for thinking of this. Check it out at: http://electiondaycommunion.org/