John 13:34

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

Reflection by Lillian Daniel

I do not want to be the president of the United States. I am totally clear on this point.

To which you are probably responding, "Well, thanks for sharing, but who asked you?"

No one, in fact. No one is recruiting me for the job, at least as far as I know. But in case you were wondering, I don't want it. And I have trouble imagining why any sane person would.

The level of incivility in American politics seems to have reached an all-time high. Bi-partisan cooperation seems to be a quaint custom of days gone by. When I watch the news, it feels less like journalism and more like a breathless and gossipy commentary on a brutal spectator sport. And big money seems to control it all.

Sometimes I forget that the candidates they are talking about are human beings, with feelings, families and faith. And so are the countless people who work for them. And so are the volunteers. All human beings, every one.

This President's Day, I want to say a prayer for them all, past, present and future, for seeking a job that strikes me as impossible. And I pray for a more peaceful political culture in which an impossible job might be redeemed.

Prayer

Let us love one another, as you have loved us. Amen.

About the Author Lillian Daniel is the senior minister of the First Congregational Church, UCC, Glen Ellyn, Illinois. She is the author, with Martin Copenhaver, of This Odd and Wondrous Calling: the Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers.

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