Dear Folks,
I know that I promised to write more about Assembly 2011 because of the many encouraging, if not exciting things that happened there this year. I have decided to defer that discussion to next week where I will continue on the topics I promised to address last week.
The reason for the deferment is that the partisan ripple affect from the federal election is still reverberating through Canadian society. Because the attentiveness and consciousness that we have about public life in Canada is so fleeting I am concerned that we do not take hold of the lessons and commitments those of us as Christians are called to when responding to public life. Much of the church and parachurch response to politics and public life in Canada is agenda or partisan driven. As you know, we are having a great deal of mixed feelings in the denomination on public engagement… so be it… it will continue. I came across a Newsletter from “Nation At Prayer” which is headed by Mel and Susan Finlay, that says all I want to say about praying for people who are politicians. The article speaks for itself. Those that wrote it have been involved in ministry, particularly in CBOQ (Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec), for many years. They have my great respect for the way they have challenged me, and I hope they challenged us all to support those in public life, regardless of their background or perspective.
Warmly,
In Christ,
Jeremy
Newsletter from “Nation At Prayer”, May 6, 2011
The Human Face of the Federal Election
As everyone knows, there were winners and losers in the election on May 2nd. The “winners” are those who became, or continue to be, Members of Parliament. The “losers” are the candidates who either lost their position as a sitting Member of Parliament, or were unsuccessful in running for a position they did not previously have. It is easy to consign the candidates to one or the other category, and in the process to de-humanize them, at least
The Joy of Praying is Just Starting
Christians across the country have been praying diligently for the election ever since it was called. The results are now known; MPs will soon be taking their places in Ottawa; and the rest of us will be facing the temptation to let them get on with running the nation for the next four years while we go about our daily business.
While MPs do indeed need to get on with their business, part of our business as Christians is to continue to be diligent in praying for our elected representatives. We must not let that responsibility slip in the face of other demands on our time. Our prayers are pivotal in ensuring Canada’s foundation as a nation which honours and serves the Lord.
The challenges that the new Parliament is facing are no less demanding than the previous Parliament faced. Our elected representatives continue to need:
- wisdom and discernment
- endurance, health and protection
- strong, healthy family life
- physical, emotional and spiritual well being
- the Holy Spirit to guide and guard their thoughts and speech
- courage to do what is right and grace in doing it
The more diligent we are in prayer, the better our government will be.
What is Nation At Prayer?
Since 2003 Nation At Prayer has been meeting with elected representatives at every level of government for prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, and encouraging Christians to pray for their elected representatives. Founded on scripture and operating under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the governance of a national Board of Directors, Nation At Prayer is a non-partisan, non-issue driven, trans-denominational charitable organization.
Our Mission
Transforming the nation through prayer with and for elected representatives at all levels of government, in the name of Jesus Christ.
We do this by:
- Praying with individual elected representatives;
- Calling Christians across Canada to pray regularly for their elected representatives;
- Sparking prayer gatherings in communities across Canada to pray for elected representatives, the nation, and the world
Training, resourcing and equipping individuals and communities to pray effectively for elected representatives and for government