Nov 03 2008
Jesus is Lord
Yesterday was a great day at Mountain. If you missed it, you can catch up to the sermon here. The whole service directed us to the sovereignty of God and the lordship of Jesus Christ (which means Gods-anointed-prophet-priest-king). In particular we considered the implications of Christ’s Lordship as we face the election season.
My favorite thing about the day is that it was a day when the gospel was declared. It is easy for a sermon about politics to become a divisive laundry list. But instead it was the gospel, “Jesus is Lord.” I don’t remember all of his points but here are a few that have stuck with me.
Because Jesus is Lord, Christians serve in this present world but we are part of a new kingdom and that is where our true allegiance lies.
Because Jesus is Lord, we find our unity in our agreement and submission to Christ even when we disagree on how we should vote.
Because Jesus is Lord, we need not be overly fearful or overly joyful about any election. Elections are not the source of true change and real power anyway.
Because Jesus is Lord, we are not satisfied to vote our conscience but instead we live out our service to our Lord in the midst of a broken world. We hope that our vote might do some good, but we are not satisfied with only voting.
It was a gospel filled day.
I will confess that there was something in me that wanted to say, “But really it pretty clear how we must vote, isn’t it? There are some issues that are so grave and so urgent and so opposed to God’s will. We must act.”
But I know better. Because I know godly, wise, Bible-reading, Jesus-loving Christians who also care about those issues but disagree with me about how to address them and consequently are voting differently. I have heard Christians ask me, “How can a person be a Christian and vote for a Republican?” I have heard others ask, “How can a person be a Christian and vote for a Democrat?” If one of those questions stumps you, I actually know the answer to both questions.
I have been doing a lot of reading this year on how Christians are facing the election. I am pleased at the improved level of dialogue. I feel like this year I find real wrestling in places where in years past there was only simple assumptions made. [There have been plenty to be sad about as well. Apparently “bearing false witness” doesn’t apply during the election season.] But in general the state of the dialogue has improved. For those who want to read some insightful thoughts, here is a fine article you way want to check out..
John Stackhouse offers a review of a handful of new books on evangelicals and politics.
For those who don’t want to read but may want to discuss.
I welcome your loving comments on this complicated issue.
on the walk
-Ethan
