I am blessed to have one of the most thoughtful and meek persons that I have met in my life journeys as my pastor. Stan Wilson is pastor of Northside Baptist Church in Clinton, Mississippi. I see the Gospel in these words...and want you to share in them too!

Another political season is heating up, and I have been drawn to Ephesians. It’s a strange place to be drawn, perhaps, but give it a try.

Read 2:14-22, and notice the profound and dramatic language with which Paul describes the new social body which has been formed in Christ. He calls us "one new humanity."

Paul is writing about a small, insignificant social organization, and he goes on in 3:7-11 boldly to claim that this church is a witness to God’s wisdom before all powers and princes. Our peace and unity is our witness before the powers of this world. Our life together prefigures God’s will for all human communities. In other words our unity matters. Our common life is important. This is where God is stirring up a new redeemed social body.

So, I’ve been reflecting on this, and then at the same time I’ve been hearing more and more about this upcoming election. It’s very important, I know, and a great deal is at stake. But I am hoping that here at Northside we can begin to see how terribly important our body is. I am hoping that we can begin to understand what Paul calls a great mystery - the significance of our peace. (See Ephesians 3:10)

One of the interesting things about this otherwise ordinary church is that we have a pretty good mix of all political stripes, and that’s actually pretty unusual. It’s pretty refreshing. It can also be frightening because the bitterness, division and distrust which mark our national life can easily come to mark our own church, and we have to keep that from happening. We are called to witness to the powers and princes, not to let their bitterness infect us.

So, allow me to take a stab at a few concrete suggestions for how to keep the upcoming election from dividing our mixed up church. See if these make sense and feel free to make more suggestions to me.

1. When referring to a candidate or official, always use their title. "President Bush" is a respectful way to refer to our President. "Bush" is not. Likewise "Senator Clinton" is more respectful than "Hillary."

2. When possible, let’s go out of our way to commend each other for being involved. Let us commend Republicans who believe in personal responsibility, and work for civic virtue and the sanctity of human life. Let us commend Democrats for caring about poverty and those who labor. Let us commend the independents who keep everyone honest. There are a lot of politically active people in this church, and the people I know generally act out of deep Christian conviction. Let’s find out what those convictions are and celebrate them.

3. Come to our business meetings and try to practice the art (because it is an art) of public decision making led by the Spirit. Think of every committee and every meeting as an opportunity to practice a different kind of politics in the midst of a divided world.

4. Pray for your political adversaries. Pray that God would help them be truthful. Pray that God would keep you from bitterness. Pray for understanding.

5. Hold your own candidates accountable for telling the truth.

6. Remember that for many people political persuasion is a deeply private, intimate matter. Therefore, a considerable amount of trust is required before a true conversation can begin. Work hard on building that trust for a long time.

7. Let’s not ask ourselves too quickly what is the social position of our church on a particular issue. Instead, let’s challenge our church to be a source of light, hope, relief, shelter and welcome to the world. Holding a social position is much easier than being a social alternative.

Stan Wilson