Who You Should Vote For

by Pastor Tom Anderson

Jesus held a three year campaign to become king. He kicked it all off with this speech in Nazareth:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4:18-19)

At first he drew huge crowds and then it all fell apart. He actually died on election day. He got only one vote and it was late, arriving three days after. It was the only vote that mattered when God raised him from the dead! Jesus is now installed as the rightful king of heaven and earth. Have you voted for him?

I know few people that have demonstrated a more lasting and passionate commitment to the poor than our mutual friend, the Rev. John Gunn of the Power Company Kid’s Club. He wrote this to me the other day:

"...I’ve witnessed eight presidential elections over the three decades I’ve been ministering in the heart of urban America. Not one of them has impacted the desperate conditions of the children I serve. Politics has never been and never will be the antidote to poverty, addiction, crime, fatherless children, teen pregnancy, gang violence, prostitution and sexual perversion. Let me say it loud and clear: the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only remedy for our sin-sick society."

I want you to vote--not just on election day--but to vote for Jesus Christ. I’m asking you to vote with your wallet and your purse. Christmas Eve is coming and our offering that night is entirely dedicated to the Power Company Kid’s Club. You can make the difference for a child born into a desperate cycle of spiritual ignorance that inevitably leads to crime, addiction, jail time and death. I am challenging us to raise $7500 for the Power Company before the end of the year. Make checks out to HUMC and designate them “Power Company Kids Club.” Give online, use the GivePlus app, give in person or mail a check.

God bless the next president and congress of the United States. No matter who wins, be assured that I will pray with good will that God will guide our government and lead us all in the way of justice and truth. But make no mistake, the one person who truly brings good news to the poor is Jesus Christ. Karen and I are backing him all the way this Christmas Eve!