A cross makes a difference. On June 23rd simply forming two intersecting lines on a ballot paper will determine the future of this nation.
It’s that simple! Some are saying it’s the most important decision we will make for our country in our lifetime. Yet my conversations with others reveal confusion and frustration at alleged misinformation and scaremongering. Can we make an informed decision when we vote against a background of uncertainty?
I write just two days before we vote. Roadside banners from the ‘Remain’ camp declare “Stronger, safer, better” whilst the ‘Leave’ camp respond with “We want our country back.” Celebrities and business leaders are going public with their decision and nailing their colours to the mast – undoubtedly influencing some. Who will get your vote?
The Rt Rev. Justin Welby the Archbishop of Canterbury said in a recent article “The vision for our future cannot be only about ourselves. We are most human when we exist for others.” The referendum campaign has focussed on questions around what does the EU do for us – that is ‘what is in it for us?’ However, the focus of the gospel is others not self. Our relationship with others is influenced by our relationship with God who calls us to love our neighbour.
The Joint Public Issues Team who work on behalf of the Methodist Church with other denominations wrote this prayer:
Loving God, in the referendum that lies before us, in the challenge of seeking an answer, in our differences of opinion, in our need to understand, may you guide us in our decisions, make us gracious in our disagreement, and may we join you to work for the building of your kingdom rather than our own. Amen
Above all we must pray and we must vote.
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