I wondered how long it would be before one of the president
ial candidates had to deal with the present consequences of past actions and associations. With media scrutiny what it is these days, I am surprised it took this long for something like this to come up. Last week, as I hope most of you know, The New York Times posted an article about the presumed Republican nominee, John M
cCain’s, past association with a female lobbyist. While at this point, the story is simply conjecture, (it only names anonymous sources close to the campaign) it does raise serious questions about his judgment, about potential conflicts of interest, and it has the potential to derail his candidacy. At a minimum, it becomes a significant distraction at a time when his campaign is gaining momentum and his sights are set clearly on the Republican nomination to possibly be the next President of The United States. In spite of the fact that the whole story is not yet, and may never be fully known, this story does remind us all that actions have consequences and associations have implications. Jesus knew this as well. He was always getting into trouble
by associating with people many thought he ought not associate with – tax collectors, prostitutes, Samaritans, women, gentiles, the poor and needy, the blind and the lame. But his associations were not for personal gain or professional advancement, but rather to show that God loved even the most unlovable, accepted even the most unacceptable, and readily claimed those too easily discarded by others. One such encounter is recorded in John 4. Jesus is on a campaign of sorts, a campaign to get the message out about the kingdom of God, a kingdom built on the promise of acceptance, meaning and hope. At a campaign stop, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well and in the course of his conversation with her, recruits her to join the campaign. All based on the promise of living water, a life that mattered. Jesus was promoting an agenda with a vision, a vision of true universal coverage, a real and lasting economic stimulus package and a foreign policy built on peace with justice for all. The woman joined the campaign. Have we? She went on to discover meaning, acceptance and hope. Have we? She found the life she had been looking for. Have we? Associations matter. Actions have consequences. Let the campaign continue.
ial candidates had to deal with the present consequences of past actions and associations. With media scrutiny what it is these days, I am surprised it took this long for something like this to come up. Last week, as I hope most of you know, The New York Times posted an article about the presumed Republican nominee, John M
cCain’s, past association with a female lobbyist. While at this point, the story is simply conjecture, (it only names anonymous sources close to the campaign) it does raise serious questions about his judgment, about potential conflicts of interest, and it has the potential to derail his candidacy. At a minimum, it becomes a significant distraction at a time when his campaign is gaining momentum and his sights are set clearly on the Republican nomination to possibly be the next President of The United States. In spite of the fact that the whole story is not yet, and may never be fully known, this story does remind us all that actions have consequences and associations have implications. Jesus knew this as well. He was always getting into trouble
by associating with people many thought he ought not associate with – tax collectors, prostitutes, Samaritans, women, gentiles, the poor and needy, the blind and the lame. But his associations were not for personal gain or professional advancement, but rather to show that God loved even the most unlovable, accepted even the most unacceptable, and readily claimed those too easily discarded by others. One such encounter is recorded in John 4. Jesus is on a campaign of sorts, a campaign to get the message out about the kingdom of God, a kingdom built on the promise of acceptance, meaning and hope. At a campaign stop, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well and in the course of his conversation with her, recruits her to join the campaign. All based on the promise of living water, a life that mattered. Jesus was promoting an agenda with a vision, a vision of true universal coverage, a real and lasting economic stimulus package and a foreign policy built on peace with justice for all. The woman joined the campaign. Have we? She went on to discover meaning, acceptance and hope. Have we? She found the life she had been looking for. Have we? Associations matter. Actions have consequences. Let the campaign continue. 
Van's Blog 