Jesus is (still) Lord
Well…I was wrong. I said last Sunday that, come Wednesday morning, half of the country would be mad. Nope. As I write this early Wednesday morning, the WHOLE country is mad as we stumble-bumble our way towards election clarity. I am intentionally writing this blog at this time because I want to lean into the uncertainty that everyone is feeling presently. It will get sorted out…eventually ….but meantime, we wait, stew and reflect upon a few things.
First, pollsters ought to hang it up. After the spanking they took in 2016, they clearly didn’t learn anything to improve their predictions or their credibility. It’s an embarrassment.
Second, it is increasingly clear that what we thought to be the case IS in fact the case: we are a nation sharply divided. Almost exactly divided. Paul’s admonition to us to “widen our hearts” toward others, especially those with whom we disagree, is even more urgent lest the Church, like our nation, be riven by our rancid politics.
Third, anarchists are itching for a fight. Why, when the presidential race is still undecided, would violence break out across the country, including our own beleaguered Seattle, unless the goal of those protests is not protest at all, but anarchy.
Fourth…and this is a personal reflection that might gain some traction with you: try as I might to resist being sucked into the media maelstrom, I AM getting sucked in. Last night, Cyndi and I turned off our phones, went over to Cooper and Deb’s to enjoy a meal, hold our granddaughter and watch a movie together. We pledged NOT to tune in the election returns. The turmoil is not good for my soul and, frankly, my own “peaks and valleys” emotional roller coaster this morning reminds me that politics can be as idolatrous for me as it is for most of the nation.
Yes, idolatrous. We…I…continue to say, dutifully, that regardless of who sits in the Oval Office, Jesus is still Lord, firmly ensconced on his heavenly throne. But my own emotional investment and even anxiety belies those words. I can tell that I still put WAY too much stock in the who-knows-when-we-will-find-out outcome of political races.
Idolatry is a pernicious and vigorous sin. You don’t pull down idols once and call it good. Turns out, they have a life of their own. They crawl back up on the altar…and you have to pull them down again. And again. And again. “Jesus is Lord.” That is heroic and defiant cry of the Church down through the ages. “Jesus…ONLY…is Lord.” We declare it when all seems well. We declare it when all is in turmoil. We declare it when we live in a nation that “gives permission” for us to do so. And if not…if we find ourselves in a season of God’s judgment because, like the people of Israel, we forget God and his ways…then we REALLY must declare it, even at great personal cost.
So…I’m turning off my phone again. I will study and pray and write…and remind myself, over and over again, that Jesus…is …Lord. By the time you read this, perhaps things will be sorted out. But even if they are not. Jesus…is…Lord. Always. Forever. Amen.