SPIRITUAL PREPARATION FOR THE ELECTION
Dear Church Family,
As you may remember, this past summer, we spent 6 weeks talking about the story of the Kingdom of God, especially as it relates to human powers, authorities and kingdoms. A key teaching of this sermon series was that whatever happens in human politics is all under the direction and control of God. Human kingdoms and powers have been put at the feet of Jesus (Ephesians 1:22). They play a secondary role to the greatest drama of the full unfurling of the Kingdom of God. God rules over every power and principality of each era in human history.
For example, in Daniel 4, Nebudchadnezzar’s pride as ruler of Babylon is answered by God humbling him with a fit of insanity. The purpose of this humbling is “so that the living will know that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms” (Daniel 4:17).
Whatever happens with the various elections which are and will be happening in the next few weeks, we can take comfort in knowing Who is in control of history and our nation. God’s sovereignty humbles us when we overestimate our greatness, even as a nation, ultimately pointing us back to faith in Him.
We also learn in Daniel 4 that God appoints rulers over the nations, “He gives them to anyone he wants and sets the lowliest of people over them” (Daniel 4:17). The apostle Paul affirms this truth in Romans 13:1, “ Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God.”
This means we can wake up the morning after the election with faith in God, committed to submit to whoever won the day. I sense that we especially need this truth during this election. While all elections can be tense and nerve-wracking, this one feels especially so. We’re living in the daily crisis of the pandemic. Our country is so politically and racially polarized that many people can barely talk to each other. The rich have become richer and the poor are experiencing tremendous suffering. From a human perspective, there’s a lot going on and a lot at stake. For me, what’s more important than who wins is that those of us who are following Jesus can remain in a place of faith, love and hope.
In order for us to be a community that’s deeply rooted in God’s perspective and peace, I’d like to invite us to two spaces for spiritual preparation and processing for the results of the election:
1) The Church Life Meeting (CLM) this coming Sunday 10/18 at 1pm after church will be all about spiritual preparation for the election. Of course, we will not be talking about who or what to vote for. Rather, we will be talking to one another about how we can be Kingdom people of faith in the midst of what might be a very tumultuous time. Part of our time will be spent hearing from folks who read Eugene Cho’s book Thou Shalt Not Be a Jerk: A Christian’s Guide to Engaging Politics together this summer. We will also be sharing some exciting news about how God is enabling our church to love those who have extra needs at this time in the communities around us.
2) On Friday, October 30, in the early evening, we will be having a socially-distanced, in-person worship and prayer gathering for our country and for the election at an outdoor tent in the Peninsula Bible Church parking lot. Stay tuned for more details, including how to RSVP.
Under His Authority,
Susan
