Election Night special

Its 10.20pm, I have an 8am class tomorrow, yet I have not gone to bed - why?  Because it is election night - or 'Decision 2012' as NBC call it!

  Obviously I don't have a vote - and yet the decision made tonight is one which will affect my life, even after I return from the States, such is the power and influence of the American President in world affairs.  I have my preferred candidate who I hope will win, but I am just intrigued as to how it will turn out - especially given the close nature of the election.

  However, what I want to write about isn't the election, but the communion service that our church hosted this evening.  It was part of a national drive by churches (see www.electiondaycommunion.org) as a unifying move after what has become a very divisive campaign.  The service was led by the 7 churches in the city of Decatur and it was truly a unifying act.

  In the welcome to the service it was stressed that people voted for different parties, had different expectations and dreams for the future of this country, yet in Christ we are all one.  There was no sermon, just a time of silence in between each Bible reading to allow us all to meditate upon the words.  Crucially it meant that there was no opportunity for political posturing, or for any words to be misconstrued as such.

  The music was led on the piano rather than the organ so, as there was a large congregation, the sound was just beautiful.  The words that really struck me were in the chorus of a hymn.  They said:

"And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,

Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love."

  Whatever side of the political divide we are on, we must still continue to live in a way which will lead others to know we are Christians by the love we have.

  What was also good was that the ministers from the 7 churches all stood at the front during the Communion liturgy, even though it was only one of them saying most of it.  However, when we got to the recounting of the Last Supper story, they all said in unison "For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said,"  At that point we all joined in with "This is my body which is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me."  The same was done with the wine.  There was just something really powerful about the ministers affirming the unity between them in Communion, and also when we joined in creating the much larger unity.

  The decisions made tonight will have lasting consequences for the United States of America, for Britain and for the wider world.  However, in the midst of it all, we must remember that we are first and foremost children of God and so we must live within that unity, and then ask God's blessing on whatever follows.