Dear Central Church,
The mid-term elections are behind us, and depending on your political perspective, you may be celebrating, lamenting, or wondering what in the world just happened! We can all agree we are relieved to not have to watch another political ad for at least 2 years!
Elections have a way of stirring strong emotions because the decisions made in the halls of government matter! However, it's good to remember the words of the Psalmist:
“Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save…Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.” (Psalm 146:3,5)
Political leaders come and go. Administrations change. Policies are enacted and overturned. Human leaders, even the ones we admire most, cannot save us. Our hope must rest somewhere else.
John Wesley offered some practical advice to Methodists participating in the elections of 1774. He encouraged them to “vote for the person they judged most worthy, to speak no evil of the person they voted against, and to take care that their spirits were not sharpened against those who voted on the other side.” That's pretty good advice, even 250 years later! Wesley understood that how we participate in the political process matters just as much as whether we participate.
And since I'm trying to be a good bridge-builder, let me bring John Calvin into the conversation, too! Calvin had a deep confidence in God's sovereignty and understood that even imperfect governments serve a purpose in God's providential care. In a fallen and broken world, God uses human institutions to maintain order and restrain evil. That doesn't make every government good or every political decision right. But it does remind us that God isn't wringing his hands over election results. His sovereignty is not threatened by a change in political leadership.
Regardless of whether we're celebrating or disappointed, Christians should be careful not to respond with panic, despondency, or outrage, as though the world is coming to an end. If an election has that kind of power over our spirits, perhaps we've placed too much confidence in princes and not enough in the Lord our God.
This Sunday, we'll be looking at 1 Thessalonians 4:13–5:11, a passage that reminds us that Jesus is coming again! The kingdoms of this world are temporary, but the Kingdom of God is eternal. Jesus is returning to finally and fully establish his Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.
We have a responsibility to participate faithfully in the kingdoms of this world, but our ultimate citizenship belongs to another Kingdom. We live in the tension of the already and the not yet: God's Kingdom has broken into this world through Jesus, but we still await the day when it will be fully realized.
Until then, let's keep our hope where it belongs. Let's participate faithfully, love generously, speak graciously, and work for the good of our neighbors. Rather than spending all our energy worrying about who is in charge of the kingdoms of this world, let's join together in making this world look a little more like the Kingdom that is on the way!
On the Journey Together,
Pastor Mark
