1 Samuel 8:4-9
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead[b] us, such as all the other nations have.”
6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listento all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”
Over thanksgiving I had a great time visiting with family, eating, playing football and talking politics. Okay, the political talk, even though it was limited, didn’t end up being as enjoyable as everything else. In the end, I was disappointed with myself because I am often more animated when I talk about politics than I am when I talk about God and His great story of love and redemption. I love to spout statistics that support my claims in an effort, I suppose, to get people to understand their flawed way of thinking. In reality, when we are not putting God above all else, all of our thinking is flawed!
Today, there are many Christians crying out for a “king” to lead us out of the disarray our country is experiencing. Many feel that if you vote for this candidate, think this way, and have these values, then everything will be better. Even when we have sincere Christian beliefs to back our claims, we must be careful not to align ourselves with the Israelites who cried out for a king because they forgot the God who brought them out of Egypt. God brought us out of our Egypt through the blood of Jesus Christ; not through any political ruler. The real problem is that the Israelites thought they had a better solution for the world they lived in than God.
We must remember that Jesus pushed against all religious and political norms for the sole purpose of glorifying God. Jesus was not ushering in a political movement but a mighty Kingdom that would lead to unity only because one day every knee will bow and every tongue will one day confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Politics will never unite our country or our world. When we believe that, we think we have a better solution for the world than God.
God doesn’t call us to vote for a political party, platform or person. Instead, we are called to unapologetically preach Christ crucified. Jesus Christ is our king! We can live into God’s kingdom by showing Christ-like humility, considering others better than ourselves, and carrying our cross each day. There is nothing wrong with talking politics because we have a right and a privilege in this country that we should exercise with great prayer and humility. But are we really doing it for His glory or because we think we know better?
As we enter this time of Advent and focus on the already-not-yet Kingdom of God, let us Preach Jesus, not Politics.
Pastor Ray is a wanna-be political and sports commentator. He would tell you all his political views if he didn’t think it would be a detriment to his actual job of preaching Jesus. Yet, he still finds ways to mess that up and occasionally preach politics. Pastor Ray is thankful that God’s grace is greater than all our sins and does his best to remind people of that through weekly worship at FBC Weslaco…currently meeting in the parking lot! See you Sunday!