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A Personal Devotional by Debbie Hall
Bart Simpson Meets God in an Election Year
It sounds very undignified for a Pastor to admit, but over the years I have often watched the cartoon “The Simpson’s.” Why? Because Bart Simpson reminds me so much of myself and my family growing up! Bart is crude, disrespects authority, and has no clue who God is. That was my story as well. And more than I care to admit sometimes, I still kind of view a lot of what happens in life from the grid of a kid that grew up watching way too many cartoons and sitcoms while eating cake-frosting with a spoon!
So part of me comes to the election this year thinking like that little boy! With all the serious issues confronting us in this year’s election, the whole thing seems to me to resemble a bad episode of Gilligan’s Island. From my cartoonish point of view, it looks like America is faced with a choice between the Skipper (George Bush) and Thurston Howell III (John Kerry). I can almost hear President Bush referring to his cabinet as “my little buddies,” and I just know I heard John Kerry on the campaign trail refer to his wife as “Lovey.” Mr. Howell seems to have the Professor and the Movie Star’s vote lined up, with the Skipper having Gilligan and Mary Ann on his side. It may all come down to Lovey! And no one is quite sure what she’ll do!
Believe it or not, there is a point to this article, but I’m going to have to switch gears to get there. As a senior in high school I heard the good news that Jesus had died so that sinners like me could receive forgiveness and eternal life, and that there was wisdom in the Bible that would help someone clueless like me figure life out. To be honest with you, it was the second part of that equation that appealed more to me at first. I needed direction in a directionless world, and that is precisely what the words of Christ gave me. I simply viewed it as an added bonus that I would get to go to Heaven also! So as a senior in high school I took Jesus up on the promise that “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).”
How does that relate to you being like Bart Simpson, you ask? Well, part of the Biblical re-education of Danny Campbell was learning that every person is created in the image and likeness of God and has value. Adding to that value is the fact that Jesus left Heaven’s comforts and came to earth and died for sinners that they might have eternal life.
Relating this to politics I have learned that it is not appropriate to be rude and disrespectful to anybody no matter how much we disagree with each other on politics and other matters. Whether it’s the candidates or protesters or the media much of what I regularly hear said is disgraceful and worthy of the “Simpson’s.” Whatever happened to the concept of civility? President Bush and John Kerry are often referred to in unflattering ways and not given the positional respect they deserve as men who have served their country in many ways. We don’t have to agree with others to recognize that they are great men and respect the position they have risen to.
It is this positional respect that guides me into reality and away from the “cartoon world thinking” of my childhood. After September 11th some said they were glad that George Bush was in the White House instead of Al Gore. While I am truly thankful for the job President Bush has done the last few years in response to 9-11, I don’t buy the idea that Al Gore wouldn’t have also done a good job. I think he would have risen to the moment the way President Bush did. Somehow the need of the moment and the prayers of the American people have usually brought out the best in our Presidents.
I thank God we live in a free country where we can speak our minds and exercise our democratic rights. But let’s not forget to do it in a way that respects others, not in a way that tears them down. Whether President Bush is reelected or whether John Kerry becomes President, let’s bring civility back! Okay, Lovey?
Rev. Danny Campbell <><
Senior Pastor, Wayne Hills Baptsit Church