Matthew 12:15-21
The 2016 Campaign for President of the United States is in full swing. Some consider that position to be the most powerful in the world. One of the key parts of winning election is getting your candidates face and name familiar enough for people to recognize them. So we’re going to do a little survey to see who you recognize in this race.
So how many of you could name or recognize them: Bernie Sanders, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Hilary Clinton
& lastly Donald Trump.
Ok, so the first picture is Bernie Sanders. He is considered the only serious challenger to #4 - Hilary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Number 2 is Ted Cruz – the Republican senator from Texas who was born in Canada. Number 3 is Marco Rubio, the junior senator from Florida who claims now to be running on Marcomentum with the results of this past week’s Iowa vote. #5 is Donald Trump – the billionaire businessman who has made headlines with some of his less politically correct statements.
Each candidate has to raise millions of dollars, make TV and media appearances, show up at debates and argue forcefully to get the audience’s attention. They must convince a majority of people in their party to nominate them for president. Then they have to convince a majority of Americans to elect them. People judge them not only on their positions, speeches and abilities. They are also judged by their image, looks, sound and tone of voice and whether or not people like them. By the end of November, we will know who succeeded in convincing the most people that they should be given what some consider the most powerful office in the world.
Now even if you’re not paying much attention to this race, we all experience the pull or pressure of someone wanting our support or money or allegiance at different times in our lives. We just came through a Canadian federal election last fall and a provincial election last May. People try to sell us something or get us to buy in to their product. On your computer or phone, you cannot get away from pop up ads or offers that seek your support or sales.
So who or what gets your attention? What kind of things do you appreciate in someone who seeks your support or endorsement or allegiance? This appeal for attention and allegiance has been going on for centuries in various forms.
