Proxy

The upcoming December 12 election is the first time in my quite long electoral history when I have been out of the country for a General Election, and at relatively short notice.

It has brought me to the Proxy Vote.  This is where you nominate someone to cast your vote on your behalf because you are not able to do so on the day.

The Proxy Vote has also brought me many interesting comparisons with a much bigger representation issue.

First, your proxy must be qualified to vote.  So, for example, you can'task your friendly Member of the House of Lords to do it for you.  Or your cat.  Or President Trump etc.

Secondly, they have to be willing.  They cannot be forced to be your Proxy by you or anyone else.  They do it for you of their own free will.

Thirdly, of course, you have to trust your Proxy.  They could simply use the Proxy vote for their own purposes and ignore your wishes.  Because it is a secret ballot nobody, apart from them, could ever know.

MEANWHILE

the Scriptures teach me that I have a Greater Proxy in a Greater Place.

Jesus is fully qualified to represent me for he, too, is human.

Jesus is willing to represent me, because he loved me and gave himself for me.

Jesus is trustworthy and he who began a good work in us will carry it to completion.

Praise God!

A Sheepish Perpective on Elections.

For Christians western-style national elections raise huge issues for they are dominated by Party Politics and not the issues themselves.

Political parties are a construct that brings good as well as bad. Whether or not you think well of her, if Theresa May were the same person with the same ideals but an Independent she would not get an ounce of weight in a General Election campaign.

Yet if there are no political parties that does not make all things well.  One ward in the recent local elections had fielded an independent councillor for several years but when she stepped down nobody took her place - so there is now no councillor at all.

Human beings, on the whole, are part of constructs of many kinds.  If the UK (a construct) has a hard Brexit from the EU (a construct) it might have to trade with the EU under WTO (a construct) trading rules.

Something in many a human spirit longs to be free.  In London we have people who live rough deliberately to be outside the borders of society - no National Insurance number, no tax office, no address, no vote, no debt letters, no loyalty cards, no PPI . . .

And many a soul regards church in a similar way.  From the outset it has had expressions of party spirit and it is perhaps no coincidence that UK party politics owes something of a debt to the voluntary structures of churches a couple of hundred years ago.

Yet for all the elements of human construct it has contained, the church of Jesus is primarily a construct of his.  The person who wearily wants to go it alone spiritually is not so much striking a blow at the institutions of religion as at the plan of God.  Which is not such a wise blow to strike.

When, after all, did you last see an independent sheep?

At the top

As Prime Minister David Cameron prepares for the new Parliament we celebrate Ascension Day.

Mr Cameron, it turns out, won a far more complete victory than even he expected.  He secured a majority.

Jesus did not.  He won an absolute victory.  He left sin and death and hell and Satan in his wake.  I'm glad I follow Jesus.

Mr Cameron has indicated that he will not last longer than the next five years (maybe that was before he knew he was going to win?).

Jesus has not.  To the contrary he has begun his heavenly session which is destined never to be diminished, though it includes another visit to earth as reigning king.  I'm glad I follow Jesus.

Mr Cameron expressed his wish to promote the unity of the United Kingdom (in th face of it politically starting to fall apart).

Jesus did too.  Except that he prayed and promised that his people would be perfectly united and for ever with him and within the fellowship with God.  And that all creation will be reconciled and brought to oneness in him too.  I'm glad I follow Jesus.

Election day

Almighty Father,

whose will is to restore all things

in your beloved Son, the King of all:

govern the hearts and minds of those in authority,

and bring the families of the nations,

divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin,

to be subject to his just and gentle rule;

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Baby Power

Congratulations to the William and Kate on the birth of their baby girl.

What a reminder it is of the power of a child to bring hope.

While old politicians thrash about trying to offer hope the nation's gaze quickly turns to a baby; the baby has no history of broken promises, has no false postures for the future, says nothing yet speaks volumes.  

When the leading story of this election is the popularity of a party dedicated to breaking up the United Kingdom it is wonderful to find that a baby speaks.

It's almost as good as Christmas!

Election

Last Sunday we had an Election Hustings at our Church.  We were very grateful that all the candidates were willing to turn up (which was something the BBC didn't achieve with the party leaders . . .!).

One reason why they turned up is probably connected to the work of the Churches in the community and this was referenced by several of them.  Indeed, in a manner not noticed on TV when MPs are interviewed they were almost all keen to stress some participation or support for the work of the churches.

The Bible didn't do as well.

The issue, as ever with the Bible, is the issue of authority.  No candidate is overly keen to feel bound by an old set of books.  Whilst the Churches represent something splendid in community voluntary work the Bible represents something like the Monarch's throne in parliament - a piece of history that represents an old, discredited authority.

The tour guide in the Palace of Westminster stands by this painting in St Stephen's Hall, the place where the Commons formerly met. She explains some of the momentous things that happened here in days gone by.  She cites most approvingly the efforts - at this very spot - by which William Wilberforce led the brave and challenging political fight against slavery.  She omits to mention the picture,  It is of the English people reading the Bible despite persecution.

So much of what is strong about our nation is not, historically, attributable to the Church.  It is attributable to the Bible.  This has been recognised at coronations as on the walls of parliament.  If only it were recognised in the Palace of Westminster; in this society; in the church, even.

Dave and Nick

Vote for change, we're always told.

But you don't have to vote for change because change happens whether we like it or not.  Now into the shoes (or perhaps mules or spats) previously worn by First Lords of the Treasury and/or Prime Ministers named His Grace the 1st Duke of Newcastle, His Grace William Cavendish-Bentinck, Henry Temple The Viscount Palmerston and Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman arrive Dave and Nick.

It reminds me of the Church Membership List with which I was confronted on leaving training college on which not a single first name appeared.  If someone said that she was Elsie I simply had to best guess which of the Mrs or Miss Es she was, a process vexed with potential disaster.  Mr D. Cameron, Mr N. Clegg.

Now I have bizarre discussions about Ann, Ben, Carol or Darren before finding out later that the other party was talking about a different Darren, Carol, Ben or Ann.  Things have changed completely, yet in that peculiarly human way that sees the Garden of Eden replicated by people's Internet behaviour, nothing has changed at all.  The first name issue has become the last name issue! 

Dave and Nick, take note. 

Undecided

Here we are, the Sunday after the Thursday before, and we still don't know who'll be Prime Minister next month or which party(ies) will form the next UK Government.

A hung parliament.  It's all so wonderfully post-modern.

Nothing is certain.  Nothing is absolute.  Nothing is true for us all.  Nothing is inevitable.  Anything is nothing if I want it to be. 

I guess the financial markets, which are not so post-modern, will get some decisions made shortly.  And that reminds me that while everything seems to be relative, the opposite is actually true.  The future only has a single destination when it comes to bowing the knee.  Yep, Jesus has the Hung Parliament thing well sorted in the long run.

Highlights

This week we had the second televised debate between the leaders of the three largest parties contesting the UK General Election on May 6.

Adam Boulton of Sky News who moderated the debate unintentionally damned it with this faint praise.  He wrote afterwards,  .... For me personally this really was fantastic and two moments stand out in particular...

First, talking to the audience before the debate and realising there were people from all walks of life who were pleased to be there.

Then there was the moment when the three leaders came on and took their places behind the podiums.  You could hear the countdown and you realised this really was going to happen.

Oh dear.  The two stand out moments both happened without any of the three of them opening their mouths!

This offered me some consolation this weekend when, beset by a stomach bug, I failed to finish a service for the first time in many hundreds of starts.  Disappearing from the platform in haste I ended up in a crumpled vomiting humiliation in the room behind the platform, the message largely as undelivered as the lunch was undigested.

The singular experience was not so bad for the congregants whom the wall spared from knowing any more than my disappearance.  They were able to continue their celebration largely undiminished, aided by my ever-competent wife who finished the service element in my absence.  Whatever the stand out part of the day was for those attending, I can be 100% sure it was not my message.  On another day I, like those party leaders, might have been fooled into believing it could have been!