Keep an eye on them!

So we've elected our MPs. But at the time of publishing this we still don't have a government. No doubt one way or the other that will be resolved in the next 48 hours.

And once Parliament is up and running then what?

I preached at the end of April on the importance of Christians voting and of course trying to vote for the political party that seems to most closely reflect Christian values. The essence of what I was saying is that legitimate, just governments are part of God’s plan to establish his Kingdom. Therefore, it is our duty as Christians to elect such Governments.

Driving home in the car after that service the Vicar's wife said “It was a good sermon but you missed out something. You should have said that as Christians we also have a duty to hold MPs accountable and watch what they are doing.”She was right. I should have made that point and in fact I am going to make that point now.

I am sure you are familiar with the story of Jesus being given a Roman coin by the Jewish authorities and asked him whether it was lawful to pay taxes to the Romans. They were attempting to impale him on the horns of a dilemma. Jesus said the tribute should not be paid then the Jews would have reported Jesus to the Roman authorities for treasonable talk. On the other hand if he said pay the Roman tax he would alienate a lot of his own supporters.

Jesus’ answer was that if you use Roman currency then you accept Rome’s right to raise taxes and should pay Roman taxes – using that currency. But equally Jesus said it was important to recognise that Roman authority only goes so far. God’s domain encompasses everything.

The point for us today is that if we use the services provided by Government, we must pay taxes to the Government and also accept that the Government is legitimate. If we enjoy the state and all its privileges then we cannot divorce ourselves from the state.

As Christians we have a duty to be conscientious citizens, honest citizens, accepting what the Government says. And therefore as conscientious citizens I believe it is important that we take part in how the country is run. For some that will mean wanting to enter politics. But for most of us it means making sure our views are heard and that MPs are acting in accordance with the values we hold dear. The values of people who are already citizens of God’s Kingdom.

So once the dust has settled and we know who the Prime Minister is and who our MP is, I think it is important that we as Christians monitor our MPs but also pray for them and maybe even send words of encouragement to them.

Father, You guide and govern everything with order and love.
Look upon the assembly of our national leaders
and fill them with the spirit of Your wisdom.
May they always act in accordance with Your will
and their decisions be for the peace and well-being of all. Amen.