(Along with this reading, I have included a bonus image that is properly sized for a FB cover photo. The Go Vote image is free to use for everyone)

Unitarian Universalism commits to "the use of the democratic process  within our congregations and in society at large". And we are fortunate that most of us, living in the US and Canada, live in places where the democratic process is still respected to a large degree. 

One of the vital things to understand about the fact that we live, and worship, in democratic institutions is that this makes us an active part of those institutions and thus we bare a responsibility for their up-keep and functioning. The democratic process demands that we be aware of issues and of proposed solutions and care about how those solutions will effect others. Once you sign the membership book, you are a member of the congregation; once you turn 18, you are a fully vested citizen of your nation; in both cases, you become part of that whole, rather than a mere subject of the governing institution. 

There is a meme, a potent and easily spread idea, that we are not our government. It's just not true. You can refuse to take responsibility, but that isn't the same as not having any. Our government is our responsibility, and while this has been said of every election in my lifetime (and it might be true every single time), this is the most important election cycle I've lived through so far. 

I need all of you to commit not only to voting, but to campaigning so that whatever administration is in control next year knows that we demand better than either one has promised. We need much more aggressive action on climate change, on racial inequality, and on income inequality broadly and as it intersects with issues of race. Our government is one of, by, and for the people, and we are the people who can make change happen.

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Spirit of Life, that which flows through all, empower us to live up to our ideals and to force the change that is so badly needed. Let us take our values to the ballot and bring more justice and compassion to the world. Let us remember that our duty does not begin or end at the ballot box, so that we might continue to organize and to educate both ourselves and others about the important issues and the available solutions.

Let us be a people who see that real progress is made before we leave this Earth, so that the generations who follow us will have an easier time making progress than we have. 

Blessed Be and Amen.