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Jesus is Lord!

Jesus is our Lord!

The election of a new president, Arizona senator, and congressional representatives is coming Nov 5 and soon after we’ll know the results. St. John’s is pretty evenly divided politically, but we come together not because we agree politically but because we trust Jesus has saved us and we call him Lord. Which means:

If your candidates lost: Jesus is your Lord. We may have a president for four years, a senator for 6 years, and representatives for 2 years, but we have Jesus forever. If Jesus is our Lord, then he is loving and leading us through our disappointments and defeats. How will we respond? Will we insult or dehumanize others we disagree with? Or will we love and pray for others, as Jesus taught us (Matt 5:44)? What we do when we lose shows much more about our character than when we win. I pray that God gives a spirit of sober maturity and awareness that Christ is our eternal leader.

If your candidates won: Jesus is your Lord. We may be excited about what we think is possible under their temporary leadership but Jesus is Lord forever. We cannot slip into the delusion of campaign ads that these candidates will solve every problem and bring us into paradise. That’s idolatry: there is only one true Savior, Jesus Christ. Politics is hard work to persuade powerful and wealthy interests to work together to solve problems. Their solutions are at best temporary and at worst have unforeseen consequences long after they leave office. Mature political winners know this and demonstrate humility.

Our country faces real and difficult problems that impact our neighbors and that take time and focus to address: clean water, affordable and safe housing, effective health care, living-wage jobs, adapting to climate change, strengthening trust in institutions like courts, schools, and churches, promoting democracy and rule of law around the world. When we hold our leaders accountable to these issues, we show we follow Jesus.

In a polarized and divisive time, St John’s and every Christian community has an opportunity to demonstrate that Jesus is our Lord and not our preferred political leaders. We show this through regularly gathering for worship with each other, learning about each other’s dreams and sorrows, patiently listening even when we disagree, about and trusting each other, and working together for God’s mission to make all things new in Christ.

Following Jesus with you,

Pastor Peter

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