Pastor’s Message for November 2022

‘Tis the season to be angry, fearful, and hateful. The season to call our neighbors, family, and friends “idiots,” and “morons,” and “un-American.” That’s right, it’s election season again!

I don’t mind telling you that I can’t wait for election season to be over. Of course nowadays it seems like as soon as the previous election is over the next election begins. And each one is “the most important election in the history of the republic.” So much animosity and fear is spread among our people. I guarantee, no matter what side you are on, someone has told you that the other side winning will be “the end of America as we know it.”

It is ridiculous. And I’d like to think that the church can be a place where that kind of bitterness and anger can be put aside and we can all gather as one people. But too often the church is part of the hysteria. “If you vote for this person it will signal the beginning of the apocalypse.” “If this person is elected they will take your guns, murder your children, and make you worship Zeus.” It sounds like hyperbole, doesn’t it? But that is the kind of rhetoric in which even men and women of good faith often participate in the interest of electing their particular candidate.

As your pastor, I consider it a blessing that I have encountered people of good faith on all sides of the political spectrum here. There are strong conservative and strong liberal people who are part of our church. And the wonderful thing is they are working together for the good of their community and for the kingdom of God! No one is going to stop you at the door of the church and ask you who you voted for. It matters not. My prayer is that our church is the kind of place where you feel welcome and find ways to be involved with ministry regardless of your political viewpoints, and with people who have differences of opinion with you. Jesus certainly surrounded himself with persons of all kinds of political views during his earthly ministry. Imagine the conversations Simon the Zealot, who would seek the overthrow of the Roman establishment and the creation of a new, pure state of Israel, might have had with Matthew the tax collector!

Remember friends, the left wing and the right wing belong to the same bird. Let Christ be the center of your politics, wherever you feel most comfortable on the political spectrum. And most importantly, I hope you’ll hear this message, regardless of how it all turns out on November 8:

It’s going to be okay!

God loves you, and so do I,
Pastor Jim