Sometime around the middle of last week, I noticed that some of the leaves on my giant tomato plant had large brown spots on them and were turning yellow. A few had dropped off. I regularly check my plants for signs of cutworms, hornworms, spider mites, that sort of thing and had seen no trace of any of them. So, I did some reading. The next day I went out and even more of the leaves were turning yellow and brown. This time, I recognized what I was seeing. Early blight. Early blight is a kind of fungus called, Alternaria solani. Once in the soil, it can be hard to get rid of. It survives the cold winters and if you plant in the same spot next year it will attack the new plants. It gets splashed up onto the plant with rain and watering and enters the plant through cuts and tears made by insects and animals or at the joint of the stem. If it gets into the stem itself it can quickly infect the whole plant. In the case of my plant, I got a fungicide and vigorously sprayed the whole plant and the soil around the base. I hope I was in time to save the plant and keep my tomatoes coming. Time will tell.

Racial prejudice is like the fungus infecting my tomatoes. It’s hard to get rid of. If left unchecked, it will affect the entire person and reduce the amount of fruit. It’s an ugly thing, making that formerly beautiful person look sick and dead. Like fungus, the racial prejudice of others can splash up on us through regular contact. It may only infect us a little at first, so little that we don’t notice. Soon, though, if left untreated, it spreads and we find ourselves with a systemic infection affecting the whole person. You may continue not to notice it but others will. It’s ugly.

Racial prejudice in a Christian is even uglier. The recent white supremacist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia which resulted in the death of a young woman protesting the protestors, brought out an ugly side of America. Many of those who were involved in the violence and explicit racism claimed to be Christians. That’s not Christianity as I understand and try to live it. That’s not what it means to follow Jesus and it’s certainly not how I read my Bible. The day after that terrible incident in Charlottesville, many came out of church around our town to find flyers by the Ku Klux Klan on their cars. They quoted scripture (out of context and wrongly interpreted) to justify their views on the superiority of white people over others. They were blatantly trying to recruit Christians by using scripture, hoping that some don’t really know their Bibles. My thanks to Tom Mowers and his sons for gathering up the ones left at our church and disposing of them.

Don’t be deceived by slick talk and the misuse of scripture. As far as God is concerned, there is only one race, the human race. All humans of every ethnicity were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27) and when God sent His Son, He sent Jesus to the whole world (John 3:16) because His love is international in breadth. Jesus’ command to His disciples in Acts 1:8 compels us to share God’s love everywhere, with all people, even “to the ends of the earth”. Nobody gets left out. The cross of Christ tore walls down between people. To embrace hatred or prejudice towards another racial group is to disparage the work of Christ and put walls back up. Don’t believe it when groups like the KKK or other white supremacists or Neo-Nazi groups try to put Jesus’ stamp of approval on it. That’s not the Jesus you know. That’s not the real Jesus.

Racism is sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant. It’s a fungus in all forms—a blight on your soul. If you embrace it as a Christian, it will make you ugly to the world and other Christians, destroy your witness for Christ, and make your spiritual fruit rot. The solution is to apply prayer and God’s Word, the Bible, liberally and aggressively to yourself. Get to know the real Jesus in a deep and meaningful way. You will thrive and you’ll help others to thrive as well by sharing the love of Jesus. Oh, and get to know your neighbor too!

Pastor John

I first heard the story of the “organ battle” from Chris, an elderly member of the congregation who told the story with a heavy helping of gentleness and grace. It wasn’t until 1955 that the General Conference of the Brethren in Christ authorized the use of instruments in the church for those that desired them. When interest in having an organ installed at the Rosebank congregation developed, the church essentially divided into two factions, those who were for it and those who were against it.

Those who were for installation of an organ in the church, followed the growing tradition among Mennonite and other Anabaptist-related churches that were beginning to use instruments for worship. Those who were against them felt that instruments were used “for worldly entertainment; the introduction of musical instruments in the church would mean the opening of the gates of the church to secular and sinful influences.”¹ Chris was one of the leaders of the “no organ” group. Among other things, he told me they had felt that organs were used in carnivals and those were sinful places.

The debate continued for some time but eventually the time came to vote at the congregational council. By this time, tension was so high that the members of each group had begun sitting on opposite sides of the congregation. Many of each group would not speak to members of the other. Chris told of impassioned speeches made by leaders of each group prior to the voting, each convinced that they were following the will of God. Before the ballots were cast, they did what all good Christians do before a major decision: they prayed. When the votes were counted, those wanting the organ installed were the victors.

The church could have split right then and there but Chris had a change of heart. He told me, “I believed that God’s will was done. We prayed and we trusted God so the vote must have been God’s will.” So, as soon as the results were known, Chris got up from his seat in the front row and crossed over to the other side of the church and embraced the leaders of the opposition. Then, he sat down with them for the remainder of the meeting. Others soon followed suit. He finished the story by saying, “And young man, sometimes that organ just blesses me.” In fact, one of the things I remember best about Chris was he and Katie sitting in the front row, Chris with his hand raised in praise as the organ played on Sunday mornings.

So, what does this have to do with the inauguration? We Christians prayed long and hard before this election, casting our votes as our conscience allowed. As of today, we have a president. He is not all that many wish he would be. He is not the one many would have selected, but he’s the only one we’ve got, at least for the next four years.

Our call, concerning leaders of government in 1 Timothy 2, verses 1 and 2 is to prayer. Paul says,

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— ² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” (NIV)

We may not have voted for President Trump, we may not even like the guy, but we are called to pray for him. We are also required to submit to the authorities placed over us and not just spiritual authorities in the church. 1 Peter 2:13-15 says,

¹³ Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, ¹⁴ or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. ¹⁵ For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. (NIV)

Why should we submit to authorities such as these? Why should we follow the rule of law in America? Well, a good reading of Romans 13 reveals that

“…there is no authority except that which God has established.”

Yep, even President Trump. And the answer would have been “Yep, even President Clinton” had the election gone the other way. According to that same chapter, God had a hand in the placement of the government that has just been established. That’s shocking to some and a bitter pill to swallow for others but nonetheless true. Remember, God sometimes gives us just what we deserve. Think of King Saul in the Old Testament as a negative example.

My advice for today? Never mind what the world says, or even other Christians. You need to show some grace, spend some time in prayer for your President and this government, and be an exemplary model, following the rule of law in our society—all for the sake of Christ. That doesn’t mean you ignore character or injustice or can’t take part in calling for change as needed. Pray and participate as God leads.

I think of my elder brother in the Lord, Chris, and his example of crossing the floor to embrace those with whom he disagreed. Dare we do anything less for Jesus? If we can’t find the strength to do it, perhaps, we need to pray for supernatural grace.

1. http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Musical_Instruments A great article on the introduction of musical instruments in Anabaptist churches in the twentieth century.
   

Things I have been considering as I prepare to vote in this election:

1. I need to pray. Prayer is essential before all major decisions. Don’t leave Jesus out of your choice.
2.  I need to consider more than just the personalities involved. Consider the issues carefully and pray over each one. Issues that concern Christians greatly such as abortion, those that affect religious liberty, and social justice concerns require serious consideration.
3. There are more than two candidates running for office. I’m not advocating for third party voting (yes there are more than two parties running) but rather am reminded that there will be more on the ballot than a simple vote for the next President of the United States. Candidates for Senate and Congress, for various state offices, and a ballot measure will all be up for consideration and are worthy of prayer.
4. My election choice is not an indication of moral superiority. I am reminded that people choose political affiliations for a wide variety of reasons, some of which are deeply seated and difficult to articulate. I will still love and befriend them after the election regardless of their choices.
5. I need to consider my witness for Jesus. Regardless of which party I choose to support, aligning myself too closely with a candidate, because of personality issues, can reflect badly on people’s views of Jesus and His church. I need to walk carefully and not crow too loudly.
6. I need to remember that God is still God. Jesus is still Lord and God did not cease to be God simply because it is an election year. He is still sovereign and loves every single one of us, regardless of our affiliations or choices. He will still be there for us on November 9^th and forever.