I should begin by asking for your forgiveness as I feel led to share a few words about the Presidential election. It’s just a month away, people have already begun voting and our nation is divided in discouraging ways. So, let me share a few thoughts that I hope will be encouraging and helpful.
First, I will not publicly endorse a candidate in this election. I believe it is always unwise for a church or pastor to tell others who to vote for. Endorsing political candidates compromises our ability to share the Gospel and is almost always based on worldly concerns not Biblical truth.
Along the same lines, I don’t believe God endorses political candidates either. If the person you vote for wins, it’s not a sign of God’s blessing over our nation. If your candidate loses, it’s not a sign that God is punishing us. God established government authority to promote public order and justice (Romans 13:1-7). That was just as true for ancient believers in the Roman Empire as it is for us today in America. Government has a God-given role to fulfill, but that doesn’t mean God chooses who sits in the White House.
We are grateful to live in a free, democratic society, but we know the church can thrive even under oppressive political systems. Our values as followers of Jesus should transcend partisan divisions. So, vote for your preferred candidate and encourage others to cast their ballots. Whatever happens in November, it will be okay and we will continue to share Jesus’ love and message, just as the church has done for 2,000 years in nations all over the world.
The last Sunday of October I plan to preach from 1 Timothy 2:1-4 on “Praying for Leaders and Living in Peace.” I hope what I share that morning will encourage us in the days leading up to the election, and while my words will only reach a few dozen people in our church, our attitudes and actions can impact many more as we interact with family, friends and neighbors.
In the meantime, I would like to set before us a set of values followers of Jesus should pursue in our public lives.
Let us promote and display civility. It’s okay to disagree over political issues and to hold firmly to your views, but let’s not allow partisan differences to make us ugly and angry. Civility means listening to others and affording them the same freedoms we want for ourselves. It means disagreeing with kindness and good humor. It means treating others the way we would like to be treated (Luke 6:31).
Let us hold our political views with humility. Again, it’s not wrong to feel passionately about a social issue, but don’t let your passion turn into arrogant words or judgmental attitudes. Respect those who hold opposing viewpoints, and share your own ideas graciously.
Let us love our neighbors, even when they support candidates and ideas we reject. Life is more than politics. The needs of people around us matter more than which candidate wins the election. No matter what happens on November 5, our neighbors will still be the same people Jesus has asked us to treat with compassion and kindness.
Let us cling to faith in God’s goodness, remembering that He is our Provider, Jesus is our Savior and the Holy Spirit is our Comforter, regardless of how the election turns out. God will not change, His word will not disappear, the mission of the church will not end, and the promise of faith will not be affected in any way.
So, vote your conscience and pray for our leaders. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).
