Thrones, Votes & Prayers
Minister's Letter: June 2024
Dear Grace Church,
It was a genuine pleasure two Sundays ago to join with the saints of Carnoustie Baptist Church in worship. They were warm and welcoming on what was a pretty drench Scottish June morning. In conversation afterwards, a number spoke of their delight about the first steps of friendship between the two congregations. Neither church is big yet there is this huge need for more gospel work in the county we call home, Angus. And so maybe we can starting dreaming and praying of the kind of the work we could do together.
A reminder that Home Groups will be taking a break through the month of July. As tomorrow night is the last before the summer break, each group will have a wee social.
Throughout the Indian General Elections of 2014, one of our Mission Partners had been asking for prayer. He was particularly concerned that Narendra Modi and his BJP Party would come into power. Modi is a Hindu Nationalist and is intolerant and antagonistic to other religions, including Christianity. The concern was that if he became Prime Minister, it would make mission and Christian living harder throughout the country.
One night at our midweek prayer meeting, our Minister read out a short email that he had received just before coming out. Our Mission Partner reported that Modi was going to be the new Prime Minister. He concluded with this line:
“There have been no elections in heaven; Jesus is still on the throne.”
The truth and reality of Christ’s supremacy and sovereignty is a sweet comfort for the church, especially for times of confusion and trial. But it is not an incentive for us to walk away.
My sense when I look out at the landscape is that there are a lot of people occupying the same space as me. We are confused. We might have ruled out a number of parties and candidates but feel like that has not actually gotten us any closer to knowing who we will vote for. I think that experience is more acute for Christians. Over the last 50 years or so, we have seen the religious scaffolding in our society dismantled and found ourselves on the margins over key cultural issues. Therefore, we feel alienated when major parties seek to push through legislation that is contrary to clear scriptural teaching and is hailed as progress. We might consider voting for a smaller party but wonder is it a wasted vote. There are so many conundrums we face as we come to the polling station and there is not the space to deal with them here.
Also, for various reasons, I am cautious sharing who I vote for. That caution is doubled when it comes to giving counsel to others about their choices.
This letter therefore is not going to blow away the political fog we are in. But maybe I might share a few thoughts about our how we might pray in the fog.
Paul urged Timothy and the church he served to pray for kings and those in authority (1 Timothy 2.1-2). This is still a requirement for the church today. How might we then pray in the lead up to 4th July? Let me offer three brief suggestions:
Let’s pray for the incumbents. Most immediately for us that is Dave Doogan, the MP for Angus since 2019. Nationally, that’s for Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister. We may want change or for people to remain. But our prayer should first be for the individuals, that they might come to know Jesus and they would conduct themselves with integrity and compassion.
Let’s pray for the incoming government. This is not a prediction about the outcome. It’s just the reality that whether people stay in or go, the dynamic has changed. That’s certainly the reality locally where Montrose, Brechin & Forfar are in a new constituency, Angus and Perthshire Glens. Whoever is the sitting MP will have to oversee a larger geographical area. So let’s pray for wisdom for them in how they approach that task. And across the UK, whatever the outcome, there will be some who are delighted and others who are gutted. Let’s pray for unity and maturity.
Finally, let’s pray for our own witness as the church. Paul’s prayer is that the Christians might be able to “live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness”. We want to pray that we should shine brightly. And that happens not because we have stepped out of the world but because we have a hope beyond this world that calls us to a better way of life here.
For Jesus is still enthroned on high.
In Christ,
Ciarán R. Kelleher
June Treat
This is the first episode in an enjoyable Church History series. In each of the ten episodes, he goes to different countries and explores artefacts which tell stories of God’s work throughout the centuries.