Over the last month, we have been tackling a difficult conversation about how the church leads a grace-filled way in a highly partisan political world that dominates our community, newsfeed, and discussions.
We have not endorsed certain politicians, insinuated who you should vote for, nor discussed partisan issues. Instead, we examined Jesus’ call for his followers to move past toting party lines and blindly giving loyalty to a political figure to give way to living out a way of peace, justice, mercy, kindness, civility, homogeny, and love no matter the cost.
The election cycle has come and gone. Your candidate either won or lost. But, what we must see is that last week's results do not change a simple and unwavering fact, Jesus remains King.
Did you know that elections come and go, Jesus remains King?
Whoever becomes President, Jesus remains King.
Whoever is elected to the House or the Senate, Jesus remains King.
Whoever is elected Governor of the State of Louisiana, Jesus remains King.
Whoever is appointed Mayor of Baton Rouge, Jesus remains King.
Whoever takes over as the dictator of some far off country, Jesus remains King.
Whichever country has the leading economy in the world, Jesus remains King.
The poet of Psalm 148 reminds us that storms come and storms go, the earth quicks and stills, the young grow old, new life is brought forth, death comes to us all, kings come, and kings go, empires rise, and empires fall, and yet God remains.
But what we do with the truth that Jesus remains King is up to us. We have to decide whether or not this truth will shape the way that we live our lives.
Will we choose to live in the way of humility and justice like Jesus or the political divisiveness way of egocentric, fear-mongering, and control?
Will we choose to live in the way of hatred and demonizing others or the way of loving neighbor, even if our neighbor has a different political persuasion, ethnicity, economic status, sexuality, or faith than us?
The truth that Jesus is the King can transform and inform how we live our lives moving forward in this atmosphere of vitriol, anger, and division.
Jesus is King. Now, let us go live our lives loved, transformed, and empowered by this truth to be a part of renewing God’s world.