By the time you read this you will have made an important decision and the election date is known. This article was originally published in The Wokingham Paper of 12th December, Election Day.
By the end of the day you had made a choice.
You either chose not to vote at all, or to place your cross against the name of the local candidate you prefer.
The impact of that action has the potential to be of great significance for the UK and maybe for Europe and beyond.
In the run-up to the election, party leaders and local representatives have been boasting about their achievements in the past and revealing their policies for the future.
Many years ago a national leader did exactly that.
His name: Joshua. The nation: Israel.
Joshua was a fine military commander, an influential politician, and a strong spiritual leader.
Towards the end of his life, he reviewed the successes of the past in which the Israelite nation had been rescued from slavery, had conquered many enemies and been brought into new territory with the prospects of an exceedingly bright future.
Now, Joshua warned his people, each one of you has an important part to play to maintain our national well-being.
He said, “Choose today whom you will serve”.
And then, to encourage them to follow, he added, “As for me and my family we will serve the LORD”.
The impact if we make that choice will be much, much more than we can expect from this election.
Peter Jackman on behalf of Norreys Church for Churches Together in Wokingham