A Pastoral Note Originally Sent to the Brothers & Sisters of the Oceanside United Reformed Church
Dear brothers & sisters,
I’ve never done this…sending out a message on a national Election Day. But here I go!
Jesus Christ is our eternal King
I want to encourage you to meditate on the truth that Jesus Christ is our eternal King…we heard yesterday in our New Testament reading that “before Abraham was ‘I AM’ (John 8); through the eternal Son all things were made; before the foundation of the world a host that no man can number (Rev. 7) was chosen to eternal life in Christ (Eph. 1), meaning he’s an eternal King who’s always had subjects.
Jesus brought with him from heaven to earth a Kingdom
I want to encourage you to meditate on the truth that Jesus brought with him from heaven to earth a Kingdom (Mark 1). This Kingdom cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12)—not by Satan, not by his minions the demons, not by the world’s greatest Kings, Queens, Emperors, or Empires.
You are a citizen of his Kingdom
I want to encourage you to meditate on the truth that you, as a believer in this King, are a citizen of his Kingdom (Phil. 3). Spread the Word of this Kingdom to all who are without hope; unloved; depressed; worried; struggling; and any other need. We should be the most joyful on election day—we have something that will last beyond our nations rise and fall, beyond the last time the Stars & Stripes are rise, beyond the last time our nation elects a “R” or “D.”
I, for one, after 20 years of ministry here at the OURC, praise God that we have a congregation made up of people who are “red and yellow, black and white” and “precious in HIs sight.” I praise God we all come from different ethnic groups, speak many languages, have different economic statues, align with different political parties, and vote for and against different people and propositions. We have this right as citizens of this particular nation. We do this as Christians seeking the common welfare for ourselves and our neighbors. Yet we differ in what person, party, and platform serves this general welfare best…and that’s okay!
So, I want to encourage you to spend some time in prayer today. To help you, my friend and colleague Sam Perez of Grace Reformed Church in Jersey City, NJ, has put together a selection of Scriptures with accompanying prayers to read/pray through: https://jerseycitygrace.org/grace-thoughts/pray-for-church-nation
With love,
Pastor Danny
