Excerpt from Exodus 3:16-25

"Go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'Let us go. . . '"

Reflection by Quinn G. Caldwell

I thank God that I cannot imagine a United States in which women could not vote.

91 years ago today, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was certified, after having been ratified by the last necessary state a few days earlier.  Which is to say that it’s been less than a century since women had an official voice in electing our leaders.  Which is to say that there are still people alive today who, unlike me, knew a day when women could not vote.

Not every leader in these movements was fighting on Christian grounds, but many of them were.  Many of them saw in the women of this country (by which most of them unfortunately meant only white women, but that's a whole other devotional) the indelible image of God, which they felt called to demand be recognized by the powers that be.

Some people don't like to mix politics and faith.  But what if God hadn't wanted to meddle in Egyptian affairs of state?  What if Moses had refused to go talk to pharaoh because he believed matters of religion should be kept private?  What if all those Christian women and men had kept silent about women's rights?

The same thing that will happen if you keep your faith in your house and never take it to Pharaoh’s.

Prayer

God, thank you for people of faith in every age who have fought political fights on behalf of others because you told them to.  Grant me the vision and the courage to do the same.  Amen.

About the Author Quinn G. Caldwell is Associate Minister of Old South Church in Boston, Massachusetts, and co-editor, with Curtis J. Preston, of the just-published Unofficial Handbook of the United Church of Christ.

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