Participate - Pastor's Pen for 14th Sept 2025

Cityscape from Forrest Hill

From about now, those of us on the electoral roll will begin receiving our voting packs for the local body elections. I consider it to be a great blessing to be living in a country with an independent electoral commission in which the incidence of corruption in voting is so tiny it is negligible. No one is coercing us to vote in a particular way, so we can be free and confident in our vote.

Moreover, I have noticed since living on the North Shore that our local councilors and community board members are generally very conscientious and concerned with things that benefit all members of society, perhaps even more so than in some other areas of the city. There are many scriptures pertaining to good government, even right back to Deuteronomy 16, where Moses proposes that fair and just oversight, free of bribery and corruption, should prevail in all areas of the promised land that Israel was about to occupy.

Sometimes we feel ill-informed about who we are voting for at the local level. However, a number of resources are available online. We should encourage our young adults to vote also, to build a habit of participation. They might feel apathetic as they see so many challenges in the world, but we should encourage them to join in.

Of course, Christians are called to be salt and light in their neighbourhood and city. One way to be this salt and light is to participate in the democratic process gladly. It's especially important that we continue to pray for unity, peace and justice in our land. On the Common Grace website I found these words: "May we find and be found in the ways of your wisdom as we discern how to support our local councils, how to consider our referendum choices, and how to approach our right to vote with prayer and goodwill." Amen