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Loving Father, open your word to hearts today, and our hearts to your Word always.  Amen.

Well, one week done, five to go!  And I’m not talking about the Sundays after Trinity – there are about twenty of those still to go – but about the weeks to the Election on July 4^th.

So, I thought we might spend a few moments this afternoon reflecting on that, and about whether the resources of our faith have anything to say about it.

Now, I’m not trying to tell which way to vote – there are Christians and people of other faiths in all of our political parties; and I’m not going to address the policies of the different parties.  Principally, I’m just a voter, who wants to think theologically about how I should cast my vote.  What factors might I take into consideration?

I’m not an expert in politics, just someone who wants the best for our country and for the world, and for that best to be in line with God’s will for the flourishing of all people.

Faith and politics are intertwined.  One of the great saints of our lifetimes is Archbishop Desmond Tutu.  He once said, ‘When people say that the Bible and politics don’t mix, I ask them which Bible they are reading’.

Take our Readings this afternoon, for example.  The Prophet Jeremiah, writing in the 6^th Century BC, was interpreting the signs of the times, speaking truth to power, and challenging those whom he saw were bringing his country to destruction.  At the beginning of chapter 5, he says: ‘Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look around and take note!  Search its squares and see if you can find one person who acts justly and seeks truth’.

And St Paul, in Romans 7, reflects on the struggle within himself between the good that he wants to do, and the evil he does.  We might find we have the same struggle between the best we want for our wider society and what we perceive as being in our own interests.

In hundreds of constituencies up and down the country, the churches, usually working together, are holding hustings for the candidates standing for election.  There are plans in Winchester for one on Thursday, June 27^th – details to be announced.  In many cases, these will be the largest gatherings which the candidates will address, and where their views on many subjects will be tested.

Why do the Churches arrange these hustings?  And what is the Christian’s attitude to voting?

Well, elections are about making choices, choices which affect us all for the next few years; choices, which in this very difficult economic time, whichever party or parties gain power, are going to have substantial effects on our lives, the lives of those around, and the lives of some of the weaker members of society.

The Bible doesn’t tell us which party to vote for, but it and other aspects of our faith do give us tools which we might be able to use as we come to our own decision.

There have been many different ways in which people of faith have made choices, from the Urim and Thummim of the Old Testament, to casting lots in the New, and people have always tried to listen to the voice of God in their decision making.

One of the major factors which is likely to influence us is the issue of trust.  Whom would we trust with the running of this country?  Trust in politicians is low – and, actually, in all of our institutions at the moment – police, schools Health Service, the Judiciary, the media, and so on – there is a trust deficit in all of these.  And over the past decades a small, but significant, number of politicians have betrayed our trust, often in very significant ways.  Lack of trust is like a virus – it spreads throughout an organism; but without trust, we become ungovernable.  And I hope all of us know MPs who seem to have their constituents’ interests at heart, and can be trusted with the running of the country.  Trust is a two-way thing – we have to be prepared to give our MPs a chance, and they have to earn our trust by the way they behave.

So, using the tools of our faith, what are the areas we might consider and pray about as we prepare to cast our vote?

Firstly, what does it mean to have a fair society?  In Luke 6:20, Jesus says, ‘Blessed are the poor’.  This is a tricky verse, and Jesus is clearly not recommending poverty; but the Bible as a whole has ‘A bias to the poor’, as many theologians and preachers have put it.

It was Gandhi who said, ‘The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members’.

This is a wide area of policy – it covers fair taxation, benefits, pensions, the Health Service, social care, fair policing, immigration policy, and so on.  This, for me, is one of the chief considerations – can we move towards a fairer, more just, more equitable, more caring society?

Closely linked with that is community – are there policies which help to bind us together as a community, and which draw us towards each other, rather than tending to push us apart?

We might want to look at the factors which lead towards an economic system which is stable, sustainable, non-exploitative, and which shares its benefits with the whole of society.

We might want to reflect on Justice – at home and on the international stage.  How are we promoting the safety, security and well-being of the poorest and most insecure across the world?

Very importantly, we might want to think about our responsibility for and stewardship of our world – what are we doing to protect our environment, to live more lightly on the earth, to preserve our world for future generations?

It’s going to be a very interesting election, with a range of possibilities.  We each have a choice to make in a month or so’s time, and the choices we make may vary depending on the constituency in which we vote.

Think about it, pray about it, and cast your vote using all the resources of the Christian faith, for Jesus was involved in politics from the beginning of his public ministry, when he said, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor’ [Luke 4:18-], right through to the end when he said to Pilate, ‘My kingdom is not from this world’ [John 18:36].

And do pray for all standing for election, and for ourselves as the electorate in the coming weeks.  The Church of England is launching a campaign called ‘#PrayYourPart’ – to promote prayer and participation in the life of our nation and communities, both as voters and as citizens.  There will be a series of daily thematic reflections written by Bishops, drawn from the Bible and exploring major themes which will be published shortly, covering the final three weeks up to polling day.

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York write: ‘In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray each day, ‘your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven’.  This simple and profound prayer is our starting point during the days leading up to the General Election – and all the days beyond.  May God’s will be done in our nation and in God’s World [#PrayYourPart].

And a lot of other resources will be available.

Christians have always been involved in politics, from the very early days of the Church until now – many of the candidates standing for election now, in all major parties, are Christians, and their politics is informed by their faith.  As Christians, we can’t not be involved in politics – but it’s what we do with that which counts.  AMEN.