REFLECTIONS ON THE COMING ELECTION by Pastor Adam Moline
We are drawing closer to another election cycle here in the United States, and even though there are several months to go until election day, it has already been an exciting time. We have had a candidate shot and another that was essentially forced out of the race. We’ve had court cases, Supreme Court cases, and even convictions of candidates. Who knows what else will happen in the days and months ahead. Only God knows at this point.
But as Christians living through the constitutionally appointed process for electing rulers, we run the risk of breaking the first commandment. “You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, love and trust in God above all things.” We run the risk of placing the entire voting process, our candidates, even our own opinions and votes above the Lord God, at least in our own hearts.
This reminds me of I Samuel 8. From the time of the conquest of Canaan in the late 1300’s BC, until the time of Samuel’s old age around 1000 BC, Israel had been ruled by judges. This was different than the surrounding nations, because from God’s perspective, He was the King of Israel. There was no other beside Him who had executive authority over the people of Israel. He had saved them from slavery to Pharaoh, after all, led them through the wilderness, and given them the land through the conquest. God was King.
But God’s rule was constantly tested. In the book of Judges, the people continually fell from the true faith. Specifically, in Judges 9 Abimelech, the son of Gideon, had tried to es-tablish a kingship over Israel, but God prevented that by dropping a millstone on his head. And now in I Samuel 8, we see the entire people desiring a king who isn’t the Lord. In-stead, they want to be like all the others of the world, having an earthly ruler.
They say to Samuel “’Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.’ But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.’ And Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them’” (I Samuel 8: 5b-9)
This issues with the Israelites is a First Commandment issue. They fear not having a blood and flesh king will lead to their downfall, despite the evidence of God being a faithful ruler. They love the idea of earthly rulers making them like other nations. They trust in man (themselves), not in God. They break the first commandment. God through Samuel warns the Israelites what is ahead for them if they have an earthly king, that they will become servants to that new king in every way imaginable. “And in that day you will cry out be-cause of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” (v. 18).
The temptation for us now is the same as it was for them back then. Ultimately, Christ is our King. He has been crowned with thorns, arrayed in crimson and purple, and enthroned upon the cross as our Lord. He rules our hearts by faith, and promises us a kingdom un-ending with him.
But we are constantly tempted to dethrone him, and replace him with a king in our own image. We are tempted to love this world more than the world to come. We are tempted to answer our fears with our own actions, rather than trusting God above all things. This is especially true for us in election years, when rhetoric is hot and peer pressure is high. Our fears, loves, and trusts that are apparent during election years, reveal the idols that have taken the true God’s throne in our hearts. We must repent, and fear, love and trust in God above all things.
There are some questions that follow:
Wouldn’t it be better if our rulers and society were Christian? Yes, that would be good. At the same time, we can’t expect to solve the world’s problems merely through civil means. It is through the theological means of Word and Sacrament that God works good for the world. And we cannot trust that a ruler is Christian just because he says so. Only God knows for certain. Furthermore, God is not a god far away, but He is near. (Jeremiah 23: 23). You can be sure that God is always working for the best outcome of His church, independent of us. It is only our hubrus that leads to the idea that we are in control of his-tory apart from the authority of God. Sometimes God uses pagans to bring Christians to repentance as well. For example, Nebuchadnezzar in the OT, or the Turks keeping Charles V busy during the Reformation.
Shouldn’t we call the leaders of our land to repentance? Yes, we should, when we have the opportunity. Think of Paul preaching to Festus, Agrippa and Bernice in Acts 26. Or even of Paul’s appeal to Caeser in that same chapter, merely to get an opportunity to preach the Gospel to Nero. At the same time, we should not neglect calling family mem-bers, neighbors, and fellow church members to repent here, instead of waiting to tell the president to repent. Not all of us are a Paul or Peter, and I fear that sometimes our desires for grandiose goals often gets in the way of the simpler use of God’s Word.
Are you saying, don’t participate in elections and politics? No. You should participate. But as you do so, keep your first love (God) as your first love, knowing that every human is sinful and will disappoint you in the end. Our land, as good as it is, isn’t heaven, and never will be.
To close, let me leave you with the words of Psalm 118, words to keep in your heart and mind as you prepare to vote this fall. “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”
In Christ,
Pastor Moline
INSTALLATION
Seminarian Trevor Flanick will be installed as Good Shepherd’s vicar on Sunday, August 18th. We will also be welcoming him and his family at the church picnic sometime in September. Details are pending.
KNNA RADIO
KNNA will be our mission project for August. KNNA –LP 95.7 FM provides both Lutheran and community programming for the Lincoln area. Most of the programming (about 80%) is Lutheran theology drawn from the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. Check out the schedule on the bulletin table for Proclaiming the One, The Word of the Lord En-dures Forever, Daily Word Bible Study, Table Talk, etc. The communi-ty menu includes Local Sports, When Music was Music, Soundscape Jour-neys, etc. Donations for August will help to support Good Shepherd’s ra-dio station and its ministry.
MIDWEEK CLASSES
There will be a meeting of parents & stu-dents interested in confirmation instruc-tion on Wednesday, August 28th at 5:30 pm in the fellowship hall. Letters with more information have been mailed to households with eligible students. If you did not receive a letter and would like more details, please contact the church office at (402) 423-7639.
STEWARDSHIP MOMENT— Luke 18: 11-12 — “The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus, ’God, I thank you that I am not like other men … I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’” The Pharisee has surely missed the point of tithing! We can’t earn brownie points with God, and we certainly can’t put Him in our debt. Our giving to the Lord’s work proceeds from a thankful heart full of God’s own generosity, not our own pride. As Mary replied to the angel Gabriel, “I am the handmaiden of the Lord, may it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1: 38). We are the Lord’s servants; therefore, we live by His Word.
LIFE MOMENT
In Jesus there is healing; there is forgiveness. You, dear brother and sister in Christ, need not fear His wrath. For you, the words “Christ is ris-en” are good words, they are the best words. They are words so good they should not be contained but shared with the world. They are pure Gospel.”
RED CROSS BLOOD DRAW
The next opportunity to donate blood at Good Shepherd will be on Friday, August 16th from 8 am—2 pm. To make an appointment, visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter: GoodShepherdLutheranLNK. For more information, please check the clipboard at the Information Center.
“It would be terrible to think that life has no meaning, that we are going nowhere and that what we do until we die is a mat-ter of indifference. That is what tortures so many today.”
— Samuel Alito, Supreme Court Justice —
JULY MISSION PROJECT: FLOOD RELIEF FOR IOWA
We changed our July Mission Project to meet some more immediate needs of our neighbors in Spencer, Iowa. The two LCMS congregations in Spencer count 71 families who are dealing with damage from the flooding. So far in July we have received $2,755.00. Thank you for your help!
CONCORDIA BIBLE SALE
Concordia Publishing House is having a 25% off sale on Bibles. This sale includes many of the versions (thumb-indexed, hardback, leather covered, and large-print) of the Lutheran Study Bible. If you have been thinking about purchasing a new Bible, now is the time! You may access the information and order at cph.org or call (1-800-325-3040) to place your order.