Bethlehem Lutheran Church
The Heart of Bay Ridge
Sunday Service 10:30am
4th & Ovington Avenues
Brooklyn NY 11209
718.748.9502
Dear Members and Friends,
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd. Once a year in this wonderful constitutional republic we get the opportunity to vote for our representatives in government. This is a civic duty that I hope everyone participates in, as it distinguishes our country from countless other countries in the world where the people have no voice. Majority rule is a fair way to determine those who will serve us on the federal, state and local levels.
As most of you are aware, Bethlehem Lutheran Church is a “politics-free zone.” Political opinions are not shared in our Christian community. They only cause division and hard feelings and no one is going to change their minds when it comes to their political beliefs. Conversation serves no purpose. When you come to Bethlehem, you are given the opportunity to leave the political negativity behind and concentrate on something far more important, the spiritual component to your life.
In my 8th Grade Christian Living class, we discussed various forms of government. In small groups my students determined the pros and cons of a Dictatorship, a Monarchy, a Democracy and Anarchy. Even though it takes a long time for changes to be implemented, my students all seemed to think that a democracy was the preferred governmental structure.
After our discussion, I offered up my opinion as to the best form of government to live under. I chose a monarchy. For the Christian, the ruler of our lives is not an earthly system of government. We have a king and his name is Jesus Christ. We don’t vote on his words or his instructions for our lives. We are called to submit to the authority of a king. The process is actually quite straight forward and efficient. Jesus tells us what to do and we just need to do it. No deliberation, no lobbying, no voting, no divisions. Just listening to the voice of our king.
If our community, our nation and the world simply put King Jesus at the center of their life what a wonderful place this would be. Of course, this is not going to happen, but why don’t you start with you. Give your allegiance to the King and start living in His Kingdom. There is absolutely no better way to live.
In the Lord's Service
Rev. Paul H. Knudsen
Pastor Paul's November Message
Bethlehem Lutheran Church ® | 4th & Ovington Avenues, Brooklyn NY 11209 | 718.748.9502
A member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
