With 228 candidates vying for 90 seats across 18 constituencies, just over 1.2 million people are eligible to vote in this Thursday’s election, the second to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 9 months.
In his letter, which was written last week in time for yesterday’s Sunday services, Dr. Sellar said,
“Following May’s election few of us expected a return to the ballot box within such a short space of time. In these circumstances we could easily be cynical and pessimistic about politics, but as followers of Christ who are called to pray for our political leaders (1 Timothy 2:2) we take comfort in the knowledge that He is able to make things work for good in the brokenness of our lives and our world.”
Dr. Sellar also encouraged fellow Presbyterians to engage and participate in the democratic process as it was “…one of the ways that we may seek ‘the peace and prosperity of the city’ to which we have been called (Jeremiah 29:7). So can I encourage you and your congregation to approach the upcoming election prayerfully and to vote, in the hope that the people we elect will work with integrity, generosity of spirit and a commitment to the common good?
“As we do so, let us always have in mind the words of Scripture and the example of Jesus, which teach us to love our neighbours; to love our enemies; to care for the weak, poor and most vulnerable; and, above all, to love God with all our heart and soul and mind.”
You can read a copy of the Moderator’s letter here.
Prior to the election being called in January, Dr. Sellar issued a statement on the political situation. You can read it here.