Our faith is an integral part of our lives. It nourishes and sustains us. Our faith informs the choices we make, the way we live our lives. It guides how we live in the here and now, how we relate to all of creation.

As we walk through this election season, we lift up the need for faithful contemplation of issues which arise in our communities and country. When we make decisions about who should lead us at every level of government, we are putting our faith into action, choosing to support particular ideas of how our world should be shaped.

Here, we share some faithful reflections on a few of the big issues of today. Individuals within our regions have reflected on their questions, what they have read in the Bible and heard from teachers, what they have discovered in prayer, and what they remain unsure about. We hope these will inspire your own faithful exploration and help you to make faithful decisions about what ideas deserve your support.

What does our faith have to say about healthcare? What does Jesus have to say? Well, healthcare is a huge part of Jesus’ ministry. Many of his miracles are those of healing. Of course, healthcare today looks very different from healthcare 2,000 years ago. But one thing that is shared by patients then and now is a struggle to access care, to be able to get in the door to see someone who can help.

I’m always struck by the story of the man with paralysis who could not get through the door to see Jesus in Mark 2: “when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay.” (NRSV) We read this and praise the friends’ faith and care of their friend. We praise Jesus for healing all who come. And we should. These are amazing things. But, why did they need to take such extreme measures in the first place? Who is still in need of friends to break through roofs and walls to get healing?

Quality, consistent healthcare can be elusive to many in our country. Those who are uninsured and many on Medicaid struggle to find primary care providers. They can’t afford to see some doctors, others won’t see them because they don’t have the right insurance. Clinics dedicated for caring for those who can’t afford care are often full, unable to accept new patients. Depending on where you live, the medical services you need may require traveling great distances to reach a skilled provider no matter how good your insurance.

Which makes me wonder if, maybe, doors are the problem. What if, like the friends of the paralytic, we found other ways to help people access care? After all, Jesus didn’t require people to make an appointment and come to him, he did most of his healing in public or in patients’ homes. He met them where they were. Mobile clinics, telehealth, and home visits are just a few ways that might help remove the doors standing in the way of care and meet patients where they are.

My faith, the example of Jesus, leads me to advocate for healthcare access for everyone. For resources to be allocated where the patients are. Jesus was in the community serving those in need where they were. What if we offered the same to people today?

Higher education opens the door to numerous opportunities for people from all walks of life. It deepens knowledge, hones skills, and helps individuals cultivate their passions, while also offering the potential for financial stability through career advancement and increased earning potential. However, many in the United States face growing student loan debt, which hinders financial stability and often leads to delayed homeownership, starting families, and saving for retirement. Millions of borrowers have defaulted or fallen into delinquency, worsening their financial situations. Furthermore, the burden of student loan debt is not evenly distributed. Women, especially women of color, as well as minoritized groups and low-income families, are disproportionately affected, bearing the long-term financial consequences at much higher rates than their peers.

Just as higher education creates opportunities for economic stability, housing offers a critical foundation for individual and communal well-being. In recent years, housing costs in the United States have surged due to limited housing supplies, higher cost of building materials, changing demographics, and damage from disasters exacerbated by climate change, for instance. This, coupled with increasing interest rates, has made home ownership unattainable for many, driving a larger portion of the US population into renting or unstable housing situations, and even homelessness, as rents also rapidly increase. Like student debt, the negative effects of housing insecurity create greater disparities amongst marginalized groups.

As Christians, we are often concerned, and rightly so, with the well-being of our neighbors. We rejoice when retelling the story of Jesus who fed those gathered to hear him when they were hungry and did not have much to eat. We proclaim the words of Jesus in In John 10:10 who said that he came to give life abundantly, echoing the psalmist who proclaims, “the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want (Psalm 23). Would this concern for the well-being of our neighbors not also extend to those affected by rising student debt and housing insecurity?

In our context, education and housing are not only cornerstones of well-being but also foundational to fulfilling the most basic human needs. Unsurprisingly, these are issues often at the forefront of recent debates in our public arena, in secular and religious discourse. As with many other concerns that we face today, education and housing are complex issues that require nuanced consideration and intentional approaches for resolve. While this might seem difficult, we may consider what it means to live abundantly in light of how the detrimental aspects of our current education and housing situation are affecting specific demographics disproportionately, drastically preventing many from even a sustainable life. What does it mean to live abundantly as Jesus claimed? And, how does this understanding of an abundant life call us to consider the well-being of our neighbors affected by economic situations such as debt and high housing costs?

The things that make our lives possible on a biological level are held in a common trust with the whole of Creation. Like human society, air is a mixture, containing oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen, but also dangerous toxins released by industry. Water in a similar fashion is bonded hydrogen and oxygen, but also pollutants, microplastics, and non-naturally occurring chemicals which inhibit the cycles life depends upon. Roads cut up habitat while mercilessly killing an unfathomable number of beings each year. Creation cannot remain neutral in the politics of our world, for they like every other community are affected by the decisions made in town halls, county boardrooms, and marble hallways. Creation challenges us, as humans responsible for the present and future of all life on Earth, with this question: How will you best lead to the flourishing of all God named as Good?

This question asks for authentic flourishing, not flourishing that impoverishes the human condition or the already impoverished wider ecosystems through which authentic human flourishing is possible. It begs us to not simply vote, but instead to find the ways through which we are empowered as individuals and communities in our diverse circumstances to be politically active. For some this might mean activism and protest, it might mean letter campaigns and emails, it might mean seeking local office on a municipal board, or perhaps it means showing up to the boring local meetings which directly impact your local ecosystem. With all of these, Creation begs us to judge our decisions by asking: How will you best lead to the flourishing of all God named as Good?

As we approach this election, and discern the candidates and items on the ballot, there are many things that need to be sorted out and allow our hearts and minds to prayerfully guide us to try to make the best decisions. The topic of food insecurity can be one of the things to look at during this process. What is the attitude of a candidate in general? How are those dealing with this looked upon? Is the view that those receiving or looking for assistance are “just using the system” or are they “people in real need”?  Is this something important at all?

Food insecurity affects people in all areas. From large cities to small towns to very rural countryside. We don’t know the reason behind why a person or family has a need, as there are probably as many stories as there are those who can use some help. While there are programs available to help those in need, how easy might they be to access? The first step is to be able to reach the place to sign up for something like a “bridge card” that can be used in a store for food items. Many times now, it needs to be completed “online”. Does everyone have access to being online? If you live in a town or city, you might be able to go to a library by walking or taking public transportation – but if you do, are you treated with “welcoming arms”? How difficult is the information to complete?  If you happen to live in a very rural area, do you have a “working” means of transportation? If not, then you are falling on the good graces of a friend, neighbor or family member if you can come up with that. Often that can be hard to find.

Even with the help of state aid for food, sometimes it’s not enough for a family. Then the food insecure may need to reach out to a food pantry or mobile food pantry. How far away is one? Can you walk to it? Take public transportation? If you live in a rural area, it could be miles away, so the added task of either having to have some sort of transportation, a vehicle or a ride – which in turn can add to the cost.

What about the kids in all this? We have seen firsthand in our rural system, children that even though they receive breakfast and lunch free in the school – they were passing out on the school bus. Upon follow-up, the children didn’t have anything to eat at home for supper over the weekends. The area churches put together a program so that every Friday the young people that the schools knew needed help, would send home a nondescript bag of food that we had put together for them to have something to eat. You would think in a small school system, this would just be a couple of kids, but this year it was up to 58 from elementary to high school.

The Bible talks about feeding the hungry more than once. This is referenced many times in the Old Testament, in Isiah 58:10, Proverbs 22:9, and other places. We know that those in need are people that Jesus cared deeply about. All through the gospels we see Jesus reaching out to those in need. In regards to food, we see Jesus feeding the large crowd of 5,000 men (many more if you were to count the women and children) that come to hear him with the 5 small loaves and two fish. How that’s done – we don’t know for sure. Perhaps people began to share what they had, perhaps Jesus actually multiplied it, whatever, it became more than enough. Then we hear Jesus speaking about feeding the hungry in Matthew 25:31-46 and caring for those who are in need in other ways.

– So ask yourself when you are looking at the issues, is this something that “my candidate” would care about?  Are there programs that a millage request would help provide for?  Do I care?

Walk with us, good and loving God, as we journey through life. May we take your hand and be led by your Holy Spirit. Fill us, inspire us, free us to respond generously to your call. For we believe you desire our deepest joy. And it is only in your company that we will be satisfied and our lives will find their meaning and purpose. Amen.