Dear God,
Although I lack both the stature and the beard of the Archbishop of Canterbury, I am still nonetheless frequently told that religion and politics don't mix. But this of course presumes that you have nothing to do with the just governance of your people – what nonsense! Christianity has been persecuted for the last 2000 years precisely because it is political and poses a threat to anyone who dares to rule but who neglects to provide care for the widow and the orphan, the stranger and the foreigner, the outcast and the lost. There is even an argument which says that if the Church is not being persecuted it is probably not doing its job! In scripture you make it clear to us that it is every Christian's calling, not just the Archbishop's and mine, to warn against bigotry and hatred, no matter who we offend by doing so. But you also tell us that we are called not only to speak out in the name of Christ, but to act out – to be living examples of how the kingdom could be – and should be.
I think you are saying that the Gospel is good news because when people respond to it they begin the process of creating a real alternative political system which values every human life as you do, in terms of its divine potential, not its monetary or economic worth. We are ALL your children God, whether we pay our taxes or not!
Sadly we are not perfect – and I guess we have fallen far from the ideal of the kingdom proclaimed by Christ and spoken of in the Acts of the Apostles. Knowing this has made us much less confident in speaking out boldly than we otherwise might be – the words of Christ ring in our ears – let him who is without sin, cast the first stone. What baffles me however God, is how we ever became so convinced that we have to be perfect before we can dare to proclaim the good news.
I always thought that what makes the kingdom such good news is that it is doesn't need for us, or for anyone else to already be perfect it simply asks that we want to be other than we already are. The kingdom begins to be built when we want things to be different and when we are willing to receive your gift of grace so that it can be. This was the reason why the initial condition for anyone wanting to be a Methodist was simply that they had to desire to flee from the wrath (sorry God) to come. They didn't have to be Christians, or even really believe in you did they God – they just had to want to be Christians, and be prepared to show their willingness to receive your grace by living the sort of life that you ask us to in Christ. The early Methodists knew that what mattered was to keep on trying – salvation is worked out with you God – not on our own – and you know we are not perfect God - yet. The good news is that even if and when it all goes wrong and we fail to live up to our own and your expectations God - we can keep on trying – and the best of all is – that you are with us as we do.
What is true for us, is also true for those we elect to serve us, whether in politics or in the Church, in hospitals or in education. Yes, people make mistakes, yes people sometimes abuse the trust that we place in them, yes, people are human – but they are also capable of being forgiven. The good news is that you do forgive them, just as you forgives me, and you call on all your children to work together to build a better kingdom. So I will work hard to forgive those who might have let me down, just as you forgive me when I let you down.
So yes God, I will continue to join my voice with those of Christians throughout the country who speak out against the BNP and against those who preach Islamaphobia or any other form of racism. And Yes God, I will continue to do my best to preach the gospel of equality for all your people regardless of their race, colour, age, gender or sexuality. I want to do this not because I am perfect – I know only too well that I am not but because I believe that you really want us to try to be perfect in love and that means really loving our neighbours – not just the ones like us.
All this might sound hard but it really isn't. I see people doing it every day, whenever I walk into New Malden Methodist Church and our servery there for example. There your people already practice what we preach, not just on Sunday's but every day of the week. It's a work Wesley would be proud of God, for genuine hospitality is quietly offered in your name to men and women of every race, religion, age, gender and sexuality, both bearded and unbearded who come to enjoy good company and to discuss everything under the sun - from politics through to religion.
The door to the kingdom is already open - we just need to persuade a few more to be willing to enter...
Thanks God.
