Newsletter November 2014

November begins with the general election on November 4.  I hope everyone who is eligible to vote will vote whether by mail as Halma and most of the townships of Kittson County do or in person as the City of Karlstad and Springbrook Township do.  It is a privilege to be able to vote for the candidates of your choice.  This is a privilege that many people in many places do not enjoy.  Last month the young people of Hong Kong have been demonstrating by the thousands for the simple right to have the candidates of their choice on the ballot instead of those dictated by the Communist Party in Beijing.  Some have been severely beaten, but they value the right to a free and fair election so much that they are willing to take the risk.

            In America people give many excuses for not voting.   They are too busy, or the campaign ads are too negative, or they think their vote does not matter, or they have not taken the time to get to know the candidates and their stance on the issues.  Although Minnesota has one of the highest rates of voter turnout in the nation, there is still room for improvement.  Minnesota still does not match the turn out in Nordic or German speaking countries.

            The task of voting is a small price to pay for the freedom we enjoy in this land.  Getting to know the candidates and where they stand takes a little more effort, and yes I know, it can be difficult to wade through the campaign rhetoric and the negative ads to find out where a candidate really stands.  Like many of you, I am not happy with some of the negative ads that have been run against one candidate or another, often by out-of-state political groups not officially connected to the candidate.  These out-of-staters don’t seem to get “Minnesota nice.”   But reading and watching news from a variety of sources will often lead to the truth.

            In Romans 13:7 St. Paul writes about the government, “Pay all of them their due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to who respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.”  As Christian people enjoying the freedom of this land we should show respect for those who run for office even if we disagree with them and do not intend to vote for them, and we should honor with our vote those with whom we do agree.

            There are days when I would like to shout at the TV or radio “The Bible says to show respect!”  But I don’t.  Instead I go quietly into the voting booth and vote for the candidates of my choice.  (no early voting, mail voting, or absentee voting for me)

            November ends with the Thanksgiving holiday on November 27.  The tradition of a day dedicated to giving thanks goes all the way back to the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock and were helped through a terrible winter by the native Americans already there.  After enduring terrible hardship, these profoundly religious people paused after the next year’s harvest for a day of thanking God and their neighbors with whom they shared a feast of turkey with all the trimmings.  Thanks-giving has been a regular national holiday since the days of President Abraham Lincoln who, like our current president, was from Illinois and did not belong to any Christian congregation or denomination, had a profound sense of God’s power and providence.

            The true purpose of a day of Thanksgiving has been crowded by an emphasis on overeating, by football games, and by shopping (ugh!).  The real purpose of this holiday is to give thanks to God for his many blessing to us as a nation and a people and to encourage a thankful attitude.  Thanksgiving is best observed by counting our many blessings, saying a prayer to God, and eating with our family – after saying grace, of course.

            In writing his epistles St. Paul often said a word of thanksgiving right off the bat.  For instance in Philippians 1:3 he wrote, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.”  And in Philippians 4:6 he encourages us to offer up our prayers and supplications to God “with thanksgiving.”   And in Colossians 3:15 he simply says, “and be thankful.”

            We have good reasons to be thankful this year.  Despite the nation facing horrible new diseases and frightening terrorists, we have by and large been spared the worst of these things.  Although there has been a spate devastating illnesses afflicting local people, the support and prayers of the community are encouraging.  Although the harvest has not been quite as bountiful as some years due to the late spring and other causes, the weather for the harvest this year has been exceptionally good.  The list could go on.

            But above all else, we can give thanks to God that he is still our God, that he loves us like a father, that he watches over us like a shepherd, and that he provides for all our needs.  As the 4^th verse of ELW hymn #764 says, “thankful hearts raise to God, thankful hearts raise to God, for he stays close beside you, in all things works with you, thankful hearts raise to God!”