Let us pray: O God, the psalmist relies upon you as a rock of refuge, a strong foundation of trust and support. May you be the same for us, that we may be strengthened to hear and respond to your call. Amen.

    At choir practice on Wednesday evening we were discussing the fact that this Sunday is part of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. I jokingly said that we will be in trouble when we have fifty-three different special themes to consider in any given year. My facetiousness at the time was certainly not meant to poke fun at the very important theme of Christian unity, nor was it meant to ridicule any of the other important issues which are suggested as special themes on Sundays throughout the year. If anything, the large number of special Sundays during the year serves to highlight the many different issues that confront us in life and which are important to be considered at particular times of the year.

    That abundance of themes and prospective topics that my playful comment alluded to is certainly true for today. As I mentioned, this is a Sunday when we mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It is also the day before a federal election. Add to that the very clear theme of repentance which was part of our readings this morning, along with the other thematic stream, namely that of being called by God, and the prospective preacher is left with an interesting set of choices. Is there some way to weave Christian unity, an election, repentance and calling together in some Grand Unified theory that sums it all up neatly and succinctly?

    Now I’m sure that some of you are thinking to yourself that there should not be too much problem putting repentance and an election together in a barnburner of a reflection. I have to admit that I felt a certain invitation to do just that, but I resisted, at least in part. I’m not sure what a reflection like that would do for Christian unity, and for me that is an important consideration.

    This past week, the Yellowknife Ministerial Association sponsored soup and sandwich lunches followed by a reflection on the theme of Christian unity, offered by different member churches in the association. I was able to attend four of the five lunchtime meetings. I continue to be impressed by the spirit of co-operation that exists among the various Christian communities in Yellowknife. There surely does seem to be a desire to focus on the things we hold in common rather than the things that would separate us and cause division. Although I came from a community where there was significant co-operation amongst the member communities of the ministerial association, although not to quite the same extent as I have found here so far, I also know that the experience of many colleagues is that unity can be very hard to find within the membership of ministerial associations, and that it is particularly unfortunate that people who profess to worship the same God and who are members of the body of Christ can find so many ways to disagree and can express that disagreement in such hurtful and soul-destroying ways. So, I rejoice in the spirit that I have found so far amongst the members of the Yellowknife ministerial association and I rejoice in the insights I received from the speakers at this week’s lunchtime meetings. I now look forward to the opportunity to renew these kinds of gatherings during the Lenten lunches, little more than a month away.

    The word “repentance” is one of the hard words that often gets associated with the Christian faith. I mean “hard” in the sense of harsh, although the sense of hard as being difficult is also there. It’s not a word that I use when I talk about my own faith and my experience is the same for others who are within our particular tradition. I could name other traditions in which the word “repentance” is much more common. I’m sure that one of the reasons I avoid the word is because of the way it gets used in other traditions and because of the harshness that is associated with it. However, like many things, when the actual meaning is considered, new possibilities are opened up for the word. Repentance literally means to “turn around”. It carries with it the idea of making an abrupt and thoughtful adjustment in the way we live our lives, to turn away from following paths that do not lead to wholeness and paths that are not fixed on following the way of God. That image also carries for me the idea that when we turn around we are able to see with 20/20 hindsight. Decisions we’ve made in the past can be seen much more clearly, along with the  motivating factors that led to those decisions and the consequences that occurred as a result of those decisions. Repentance therefore is a look back leading to a mid-course correction that steers us more clearly in ways of faithfulness. Such mid-course corrections are often depicted very dramatically in the scriptural record, but in experience they may be a series of small changes rather than the dramatic U-turn which is often described.

    The call to repentance also has a direct bearing on the desire for Christian unity. Unity is often most threatened when parties come to a discussion with a mind set that they have a unique hold on the absolute truth. Such pride usually results in an unwillingness to hear other perspectives and unwillingness to accept that the truth  lies somewhere between two opposing points of view - not necessarily in the middle and more often than not closer to one than the other, but never completely on the side of one point of view than the other. If I have one regret about the election campaign that we have just endured, it is that there is such a tendency to paint things in absolutely stark contrast. There is no option for a view that lies somewhere between the policies and perspectives of the various parties and candidates. In order to promote your own point of view it seems necessary to cast as evil the other point of view, and more often than not in this campaign it seemed that casting the opposing view as evil was more important than promoting the good that your own point of view would accomplish. And just in case you think I am being partisan in expressing that point of view, I can honestly say that such tactics in my estimation were used by all four major parties during the campaign. As I mentioned last week, the one thing that I honestly wanted to hear during this campaign was a vision of what Canada is, and a vision for what Canada can be. There were brief glimpses, but they were all too fleeting, and more often than not I heard statements that mocked or insulted the perceived vision of an opponent rather than the clear description of a vision being put forward by a party or candidate. At least in my understanding a certain amount of repentance on the part of all candidates and parties would go a long way in convincing me. An admission that absolute truth is fleeting and that none of us can claim a distinct and unique grasp on it would have helped me in determining my support for a particular party or candidate.

    Having said all that, and while I have expressed some of my disillusion with the campaign that is nearing an end, and my sense that everyone involved could stand a little bit of humility in the whole process, I am not one who is completely disillusioned by politicians. It is not an easy calling, and I use that word carefully. Imagine having to put whatever else you do in life on hold for two months this time in order to subject yourself to long days, large expenditures and the fine tooth scrutiny of the media and general public and know for over two thirds of the people running for political office that the whole process will end in defeat. It’s not easy, and then if you are elected, your life is given over to flights back and forth across the country - maintaining two households, or disrupted family situations, dealing with constituent concerns, party concerns and for some, international obligations. I truly believe that for many elected members, the decision to run for office is also a decision to give your life over to someone or something else. I sometimes think of a calling as something that you need to do regardless of the cost of doing it. In many ways, that’s the way I see the call to run as a candidate, but it is a calling which is completely at the whim of the voting public. They get to decide whether or not you are given the opportunity to fulfill your calling. So, I guess what I am asking for, is a bit of repentance for those of us who look so cynically at politics and politicians. I sincerely trust that those who do offer themselves up to run for public office do so with a sense of answering a call, and with a sense that they are doing so as an act of faithfulness to God and to the people they are selected to serve.

    Christian unity, repentance, calling and an election. I have to admit I am somewhat anxious about where our country is going to be at the end of tomorrow. I hope I can hear my own words and take them to heart - to not be so hard nosed in my own attitudes that I am unable to see a different perspective - but also to be clear about the things I hold dear - not in my own self-interest, but in the interest of serving God and following God’s way. May God give us perspective, courage and discernment for the way that lies ahead. Amen.