Day 5/October 29 Devotion

Reflection by the Rev. Tom Knoll
Senior Pastor of First Trinity
in Washington, D.C.

It is my belief that it is not only our civil duty but also our Christian responsibility to vote. The big question is who do we vote for? Chances are many of you reading this have already voted. With the energy around early voting and a scary pandemic lurking, November 3rd may be the largest non-election, election day ever. As a disciples of Jesus, I feel the candidate(s) I vote for should be a person who has demonstrated that their leadership is not to serve themselves or some special interest, but to serve others. God had placed you and me on this earth for a purpose and that purpose is to serve others, not ourselves. It’s really a simple philosophy but difficult to practice within the consumeristic culture we live in. The scripture from Matthew below speaks for itself. As Jesus has come to serve, so we have been called to serve.

Matthew 20: 25-28

But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your servant; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Questions to Ponder

1. Imagine what our communities could be if our greatest concern and attention was to serve others.
2. If you tried to model servant behavior in your life, what would it look like?
3. How can the church turn around our society’s infatuation with individualism?

Silence for Reflection

Prayer

O God, you call us to honor those in authority.  Help us to elect trustworthy leaders, participate in wise decisions in our common life together, and to above all serve our neighbors.  Bless the elected and non-elected leaders of our communities and may they above all be servants to those they serve.   Amen.