Transcript:
Rev. Kym Lucas:
Greetings beloved in Christ. I hope that you are enjoying the beauty and the blessing of this day. From the time I was little, my maternal grandmother, who died when I was 21, instilled in me the importance of voting. She contended that voting was a civic privilege and that too many people had struggled and suffered, and some even died, so that I would have the privilege of voting. My grandmother believed in the deep idea that every American citizen should have the opportunity to vote regardless of the color of their skin, regardless of their gender, regardless of their religion. Every citizen of this country deserved a vote and needed to exercise that privilege. So from the time I was 18, I have been committed to voting in every election. I recognize that my vote is my voice. It is my voice that speaks to the ideals of my country.
The idea that all of us are created equally and endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights. My vote is my voice that speaks to the kind of country, the kind of world, the kind of community that I want to inhabit. And I recognize that other people’s voice and vote might be different than mine, but that in democracy we work together for the common good, at least ideally we do. And that is why I want to encourage everyone, even if you’re feeling anxious, even if you’re not sure how you want to vote, I encourage you to vote. It is your civic privilege. It is your way of speaking to the kind of change you want to see in the world. And it is a privilege, and it’s only helpful if you exercise it.
I know there is a lot of anxiety around this election season, and to you all I will speak these words of wisdom that were spoken to me by my bishop, who will soon end his term as our presiding bishop, the most Reverend Michael Curry. He said at the end of the day vote your baptism. Vote the vows you have made. Vote about seeking and serving Christ. Vote about respecting the dignity of every human being. Vote about striving for justice and peace, because those are the things that define us. At the end of the day, no matter how our election turns out, I am clear that my call will not change. I am called as a follower of Jesus, to be a proclaimer of the way of love, to walk with those who are the least and the lost, to walk with those who are dehumanized and demonized, to walk with the outcast, because that is what my Savior did. Blessings.