“Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” “Who will make you better off in the next four years?” These seem to be the litmus test questions that the candidates want us to consider as we prepare to vote. Surely our well-being is important to each one of us, and we will spend time considering which philosophy of government is more likely to help us be successful. But there is another question for us, and I hear neither candidate even acknowledging its relevance. It is a question that I believe Jesus would ask if he were in the audience at one of the debates, and it has import for our entire nation. It is this: “Who will help my neighbor in the next four years?” How would the candidates answer such a question? Which answer would make more sense to you? As followers of Jesus, we are called, in Paul’s words, to “look each of us not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). Increasingly, those at the margins of our society are being left farther and farther behind those of us who are more or less in the mainstream. We see the elderly, the poor and children at risk, and many are still discounted because of gender, ethnicity or social status. These people at the margins are precisely who Jesus calls us to serve. It is not, nor will it ever be, enough simply to throw a few dollars in a bucket or a collection plate and belief that we have answered Jesus’ command to serve. We are called to work to make a difference in the lives of those on the margins. Now, don’t misunderstand me…this is not a discussion of parties or politics. Politics will ask about the role of government and the role of the private sector in addressing the concern, and that is an important discussion. As followers of Jesus, we must ask the prior question: are we willing to do as Jesus commands us to do—to love our neighbors as ourselves? And we must remember Jesus teaching on the question “Who is my neighbor?” Once we have answered that question we can begin to discuss how we can do what we know we must do. I’m sure that neither candidate has a plank in his platform called “care for the neighbor,” but our country would be a better place if every candidate, and every public servant, took such an idea seriously. As you prepare to cast your vote, look not only to your own interest but also to the interest of your neighbor.