To Leave or not to Leave, THAT is the question

In less than two weeks’ time the votes will have been counted and the result of the EU Referendum will be known. The polls are predicting that it is likely to be a close-run thing.  Whatever the outcome, it will have consequences far into the future, affecting not only our lives, but the lives of our children and grandchildren.

In one sense, we are faced with a simple choice, In or Out (though I had to smile when someone made the suggestion that there should be a third choice: ‘Shake it all about!’)  And yet, of course, the choice is very far from simple, because there are an enormous number of considerations to take into account when trying to decide which way to cast our vote.

I must confess to having been hugely disappointed at the manner in which the majority of the debate has been conducted, with both Remain and Leave groups seemingly being guilty of wild exaggeration and of being very willing to play the “fear” card.  If we are to believe all the claims which have been made, we are apparently headed for destruction whichever option we vote for!

I think that many people are bemused by a lot of what has been said in the debate, with many of the statements appearing to be contradictory.  There has been a clamour for ‘facts’ about the implications of either choice.  Yet widely respected financial guru Martin Lewis rightly states that, ‘the most important thing to understand is: there are no facts about what happens next.  Anyone who tells you they KNOW what’ll happen if we leave the EU is a liar.’

So how do we make the choice whether to Remain or to Leave?  Although we cannot predict the future, we can get informed about the issues.  CARE have produced some useful information on their website.  The Methodist Church has also produced some helpful resources.  I received my postal vote a couple of weeks ago.  I haven’t yet completed and returned it, because I haven’t yet finally decided which way to cast my vote.  It’s important, however, that we do use our vote because this is an enormous decision which we as a country are taking.

Whichever way we go, we don’t know for certain what the outcome will be.  The plain truth is that none of us can see clearly into the future.  The Apostle Paul, in his famous ‘love’ chapter in 1 Corinthians 13, puts it like this: ‘We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist.’  This is true not only in respect of our future in or out of the EU, but in life as a whole.  We don’t know what’s round the corner, we cannot see far along the road ahead.  For some, that is a scary reality; we may at times wish we could know more about the way ahead, but that is not how things are.

So how do we face an unknown future?  We are left with a choice: we can either try and manage the journey on our own, or we can place our trust in the One who created us.  God has promised that if we place our lives in his hands, then our future is secure in him, whatever may happen.  The verse quoted above from Paul’s writing continues as follows, ‘But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!’  There will, ultimately, come a time when we WILL see clearly.  In the meantime, we continue our journey of faith, remembering the wonderful promise given in Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians, ‘there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.’  And whatever the outcome of the Referendum, we must continue to pray for God’s hand upon our nation and our world.

Loving God,
In the referendum that lies before us
in the challenge of seeking an answer,
in our differences of opinion,
in our need to understand,
may you guide us in our decisions,
make us gracious in our disagreement,
and may we join you to work for the
building of your kingdom
rather than our own.
Amen

Methodist Church Website