Politics in the Pews // Talking Elephants & Tipping Cows // Read

You know those topics that are taboo? The topics that polite conversations avoid? The topics that we’re all thinking about it, but we’re not talking about—especially at church? Yeah...we’re going there. Politics, sex, alcohol, suicide, hell, suffering. We’re talking about all of these “Elephants in the Room” and we might even tip some “Sacred Cows” that have been built up in the process. Now you might be thinking: “This is going to be uncomfortable.” You’re right. It’s going to be uncomfortable...and eye-opening, healing, necessary. There is no better, safer place to discuss these topics than church. So with that in mind...can we talk?

Is there anything more divisive than politics? Political views turn brothers into enemies quicker than almost anything else. Obviously, that shouldn’t be the case. But what’s the appropriate, Christian approach to politics? How do we best engage in public policy, voting, and political discourse? How do we hold political beliefs, honor Jesus, and love others at the same time?

Take it Further:

Well, good morning, Cornerstone. How are you? Listen, it is good to be with you. It's good to see all of you. Listen, I mentioned this every time I'm up here. But if I haven't met you yet, whether you've been coming to Cornerstone for a long time or you've just started coming, man, grab me after service. I would love to get to know you. I'd love to hear your story. I'd love to hear how you came to Cornerstone and how you came to faith. But genuinely would just love to get to know you. So please, please, please, after service, grabbed me, and let's chat. Now, as Pastor Jacob mentioned today, we begin a new series titled talking elephants and tipping cows. And you may have noticed that our stages kind of set up differently. Today I'm sitting, and we have a table, we have chairs, it's a whole different thing. And that's because we want this to be like a discussion. We want this to be very conversational. So that's that being said, Imagine you and I are grabbing coffee at Artisan and coffee in let, or porch light coffee over by the university. And since we're grabbing coffee, of course, I'll pour you a cup hoping that you'll drink it black as I do. But if not, no, no shade, no shame. I'm not judging you at all. And since we're getting coffee, chances are, it's a single origin Ethiopian that is just out of this world. Amazing. But imagine these like conversations, like discussions in this series, we're going to be exploring various hot button issues, hot button topics from a Christian perspective and a Christian approach. And so the things that we'll be exploring in this series are things like politics, hell, the problem of evil, sex, suicide, depression, and drugs and substance abuse. Essentially, we're gonna be talking about all the things that you're not supposed to bring up at a family gathering. If you grew up in a family like mine, you just don't bring up certain things. And these are all of them, we're going to be talking about all of them. Because we're, we believe that these issues are important. These topics are very important. And Scripture speaks to these issues. And they deeply impact our discipleship to Jesus. And so today, we're exploring politics. So if you're a note-taker, like my wife is, the title for today's message or discussion is politics, in the pews, politics in the pews. And for our discussion today, I would highly recommend this book. It's the liturgy of politics, and spiritual formation, for the sake of our neighbor, who has learned largely impacted what we're going to be talking about today. And what a Christian approach looks like to politics. It is written by Caitlin chefs, and if you don't know who Caitlin chest is, she's an author. She writes for various Christian publications. She did her undergraduate work at Liberty University. And as she was getting ready to graduate 2016 election was coming right up like it was coming in hot, it was about to happen. And if you know Liberty's history, it's known for being just slightly controversial and polarizing. And so, as she was getting ready to graduate, a lot of the controversial and polarizing things started to take place at the university. So she got to see it from a unique perspective. Then she went on to Dallas Theological Seminary and is now a doctoral student at Duke Divinity School. So that's who Caitlin chest is. I would highly recommend the book, her framework for spiritual formation in regards to politics. It's largely shaped what we're going to be talking about today. But before we get to any of that, how about we go ahead and pray.

Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for your steadfast love for your goodness, Lord, even when we don't get things right. Even when we don't approach things from a Christian perspective, Lord, you're still faithful, and you never leave us. And so, Lord, we thank you for your patience with us. We thank You for Your Mercy and for your great love. Lord, we thank you, you do not view us with eyes of anger, or be you view us with eyes of compassionate love. And So may we do the same? In Jesus name Amen. Well, as we kind of approach today's discussion, I just want to be upfront. I want to be upfront and honest with you, there are going to be things that I say today that will most likely stir some sort of emotion in you. And most likely, the emotions that will be stirred up will be negative. Now, I don't want you to think emotions are bad and enough in and of themselves, because they're not what they do, is they alert us to something. For instance, when we feel angry, it's because we feel like a value has been violated as someone or something has been violated, and that something needs to be put right. And so, in this instance, our anger is alerting us to this. And so, emotions will come up today. And when they do ask that, you simply ask yourself, why why did You feel angry? Or why do you feel uncomfortable? Or why do you feel frustrated? See, our emotions aren't necessarily wrong. But the certain things that elicit emotions in us often just shouldn't, when we look at it from a third-person perspective. And so I ask that if emotions arise, that you don't check out. But instead, you would start to ask yourself, why are these emotions rising up within me? Now before we dive into the topic itself, of politics, and specifically American politics, we need to set a foundation for our conversation. And truthfully, this is the foundation for the entire series in any hot button issue that you're going to be diving into with anyone. And it really lays out our Christian approach to politics. And this foundation is known as the Imago Dei Imago. Dei is a term in Latin that means the image of God, and it is the lens through which we are to see every person, whether we know them personally or not, in the framework of the Imago Dei or for the Imago Dei comes from Genesis 126, through 28. If you're wondering where that's at in your Bible, it's quite literally the first or second page. But as Genesis 126 through 28 says, Then God said, Let us make mankind in our image in our likeness. So they may rule over the fish of the sea efficiency, the birds in the sky, the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in his own image and the image of God. He created them male and female, He created them, God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase the number, fill the earth and subdue it rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, and over every living creature that moves on the ground.

And so, this passage comes from what we would call the creation narrative. This is where we read that God created all that there is from nothing, the uncreated God creating all that there is from his abundant love. Now, the term image of God may sound foreign to you. What is that? What does that even mean? What's going on here? Well, it all comes into focus when we understand the context in which Genesis was written. You see, in the ancient Near East, various people groups worshipped various gods, and each God had its own temple, the temples were seen as the dwelling place of that specific God, think of a temple as that God's home, the concentrated presence of that God was there. And in the temple, you would find images of that God showing what they look like showing the characteristics they had, or the things that they had done in the past. And the images were the physical representation of what that God was like, the image wasn't the God, but you encountered the God through the image. And this helps us see that Genesis is actually portraying the Garden of Eden as a garden temple in which humans are God's images. In other words, we are God's representatives of creation. We receive God's love and life and then reflect that out into creation by stewarding it and cultivating it. And then we are to reflect the praises of creation back up to God. And in this framework, we see all humans as created in the image of God. This isn't something we lost when sin entered the picture in Genesis three. When sin did enter the picture, we believed the lie of the enemy, and we stepped away from our vocation as image-bearers. Now, are we still made in the image of God? Absolutely. But we're broken. And we're living with false identities. But this is who we are everyone made in the image of God. And if you're a Christian, it goes even a step further, and your identity is now found in Christ as a child of God, you've been redeemed, you've been restored, you've been made new, you are a new creation in Christ, you are no longer bound by the power of sin and death, the power of your false self. And so now, by the power of the Spirit, you can actually live into your vocation that God has given you to bear his image and his likeness in the world. And so, if you're a Christian, this is the lens through which you are to see every person is made in the image of God, doesn't matter if they disagree with you. It doesn't matter if you think they are terrible. They are made in the image of God to see not seen as an image-bearers see as less than human. And when we do that, we've abandoned Christ. We've abandoned our vocation to reflect Christ's love and justice in the world. And so the Christian perspective sees every human as made in the image of God, and so as Christians, our obedience and allegiance are to Jesus Christ alone, who is our king. We are citizens of his kingdom. And so, therefore, the Christian approach, the Christian perspective, doesn't promote any political ideology or system because it is ultimately flawed and falls short of the perfect kingdom of God. Our ultimate hope is not in the perceived success of the United States of America. It's an earthly kingdom, and we'll pass away. In other words, America is not the kingdom of God. But, our obedience is to Jesus Christ and His Word. And so, following his way, we seek to bring about human flourishing in our community. We seek to promote the welfare of our neighborhood of our city or our state of our country in our world, remember, the Imago Dei, and so, therefore, we are not apathetic to politics. So don't hear what I'm not saying. I'm not saying we are disengaged and apathetic. No, we care deeply. Instead, we are thoughtfully engaged while knowing that our ultimate allegiance is to Jesus and that we are citizens of a different kingdom. This is our approach. Do you notice in this approach that Jesus is in a second amendment believing free-market capitalist who says, Don't tread on me. Now, Jesus said, Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you. He says, care for the poor and needy among you. Welcome the refugee. Jesus died for his enemies on the cross. On the other hand, in the Christian approach and the Christian perspective, Jesus isn't a progressive, who is a moral relativist who believes truth is defined by the individual who says, Do what makes you happy, as long as you don't hurt anyone, whatever that means, and whoever gets to define that. Now, Jesus says, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me. Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Him. Jesus made claims about absolute truth. And he made claims about objective reality. And so, if you notice in the Christian approach, in the Christian perspective, the kingdom of God cannot be co-signed with American politics or America itself. And this is because the America American system is flawed, it is a worldly kingdom. And so, no matter how hard we try, Jesus cannot be put into the box of our political party of choice. Remember, we are citizens of a different kingdom who see people through the lens of the Imago Dei. And now this sounds great. But as you probably know, this isn't how things seem to be taking place in our country today; we don't see Christians viewing others through the lens of the Imago Dei, placing their ultimate allegiance and trusting in Jesus Christ alone. And so, seeing the people of God act in this way probably upset you. And it should upset Jesus as well. This leads us to our kind of anchoring passage today, through which we'll explore everything else.

It's Matthew 15:10 through 20. says Jesus called to the called the crowd to him and said, listen and understand what goes into someone's mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth. That is what defiles them. Then the disciples came to him and asked, Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this? He replied every plant that my Heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit. Peter explained it. Peter said, explain the parable to us. Are you still so dole, Jesus asked them. Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body, but the things that come out of a person's mouth come from the heart, and these defile them? Fraud of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. These are what defile a person, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them. So some quick context here, Jesus is in dispute with the Pharisees over whether a person needed to wash their hands before they ate in order to remain ritually pure. And Jesus quickly points out, Hey, this is not the point of that Jewish law, and it is not food that defiles us, but what is in the heart that defiles us. And so, if our hearts are given over to sin, then it is inevitable that it will show in our words and in our actions. In other words, if our hearts are given over to sin, it is inevitable that it will show in our political engagement and church. I really believe that we've defiled ourselves by our approach to politics. We've given ourselves over to blind guides on both sides. And as Jesus tells us when the blind lead the blind, both fall into a pit, and I think the issue really lies in our spiritual formation. So is the fancy term I use when explaining the book that we're exploring today. If you're wondering what spiritual formation is, a really quick and concise definition is spiritual formation is the process of being conformed to the image of Christ, for the sake of others, the process of being conformed to the image of Christ, for the sake of others. But we are also spiritually formed away from Christ by things that do not draw us closer to God. This process is like learning to play an instrument or a sport. In order to become a legitimate musician or a legitimate athlete, you need to train every day, or at least almost every day; you need to train and grow your skills. But you sit around all day, and you fail to train, day after day after day, you notice that you've essentially lost your skill to do what you want to be who you once were. And this is because we are embodied beings, and much of our life consists of being formed by habits that we either enact intentionally or unintentionally. In other words, our habits form us to either be more like Christ or be more like our flesh. In the words of the Apostle Paul, do you know that studies show that only 5% of our day, give or take, consists of us using logical reasoning to do a task, saying, I want to do this thing today. Therefore, I do it. Only about 5% of our day, give or take, consists of that. The rest is intentional and unintentional habits. And so, therefore, much of what we think and believe has more to do with formation than deductive or inductive reasoning or logical thinking, whatever that means to us. Kaitlan chess and the book that I referenced today put it this way, learning is not purely a cognitive process by which we gain information about the things we love and then make logical decisions based on that decision. Instead, this learning usually looks more like picking up implicit messages about the good life, and there are things we habitually consume, watch, experience, and rehearse with our bodies. You see, we can be formed to be more like Christ, or we can be formed to be more like our broken and sinful nature. And this is what has happened in our approach to politics. Instead of thoughtfully engaging in politics, we've thoughtfully given ourselves over to be formed by political talking heads on both sides. We've gotten in bed with political parties who offer much more than they're actually willing to give. And in the process, many have lost their way.

Think of it like this, rather than being disciplined by way of Jesus. We've been disciplined by Fox News or CNN. And maybe you say, Well, hey, I really don't watch cable news. So it doesn't land. That's fine. Rather than being disciplined by way of Jesus, we've been disciplined by Newsmax in Brea at Bard or the Washington Post or the LA Times. And maybe you don't really read articles online either, rather than being disciplined. By the way of Jesus, we've been disciplined by our social media platform of choice and who we follow, who we choose to follow, and who will reinforce the way we already think and feel. And in reality, it should not be this way. We have failed to approach politics with the kingdom mindset. And we have failed to see those that we disagree with as made in the image of God. What we need is a transformed heart, a renewed mind. Let's go back to Matthew 15 In verses 18 and 19. Jesus says, but the things that come out of a person's mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. Fraud of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander that I'm reading on here, these are what defile a person, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them. Or, in the words of Jesus in Luke 645, the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. And so, let's not kid ourselves any longer. We know that to sign on to a political party, full send is to be out of step in some way or another to varying degrees with the way of Jesus. Every group that exists in both political parties requires that we love one group and we hate another. Both political parties tell us to truly advocate for what they believe is true, good, and beautiful. It requires silencing and slandering those that disagree. Jesus says, though, to love our enemy, As to love your neighbor as yourself, to seek the good of another above yourself. And Jesus doesn't call us to half-hearted devotion, he requires all of you to give all of yourself to Jesus means that you cannot give your unexamined support to a political party. And so, to take a step forward in our Christian approach, we need to live into what the Apostle Paul calls us to in Romans 12. One and two, if you grew up in church, this is a very famous passage that you are most likely familiar with. Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, this is your true and proper worship, do not conform to the pattern of this world. But be run, be run, gosh, sorry, guys, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, then you'll be able to test and approve what God's will is His good, pleasing, and perfect will. And so, on the next step toward our Christian approach on the foundation that we laid in the beginning, our discussion really hangs on a question. And that question is, where do you go? Ask yourself that where do you go when you're terrified? When you're troubled, when you're angry when you're frustrated? When don't you know if there's going to be a future for your children? Because of the things that are happening in your community, your country, or the world? Where do you go? Do you go to Tucker Carlson or joy Reid? Do you go to social media to slander every person who's contributing to the thing that you're upset about? or slander those who you disagree with? Or do you go to your buddies who all look and think like you so that they can reinforce what you already think and feel? Or do you go to Jesus Christ in the Word of God? And I would venture to say that many of us today do not go there. We do not go to Jesus Christ in the Word of God. We go to the people and the places that reinforce the way we already think when we're terrified by situations or angered by situations like the murder of Mahmoud arbery, the buffalo mass shooting war in Ukraine, inflation, and possible recession. We go to the people and the places that reinforce the way we already feel. It's a place of comfort, it's a sense of belonging, and it feels like home.

And this makes sense. why do we go here? As Caitlin chest put it. Our political beliefs and advocacy are not primarily built on Grand sweeping claims to which we mentally assent. They are often built on ordinary impulses and biases that we inherit and absorb in small, everyday interactions. We have embodied beings who are formed. We don't mentally assent to things, although we'd like to think we do. We have embodied beings who are formed. And the Christian approach tells us that when we feel like this, when we're terrified, when we don't know where to go, and we don't know if there's a future for our family, we don't know what's coming next. We need to go to Jesus Christ in the Word of God. And we begin by doing that, through lament. You see, whenever we're troubled, or whenever we're angered about something going on, it's usually because there's a wrong that's being done in our community, our state, our nation, or the world. And if we really see people through the lens of the Imago Dei, that means whether we agree with the people, whether they're far away or they're close, people are suffering, people are hurting. And so, therefore, when we go to Jesus Christ in the Word of God, we lament first. And then we say, Lord, we know this is not your will. This is not your way. This should not be. Lord, what do we do? How do we embody the kingdom of God in the here and now this is where we go. If we want to embody the kingdom of God and the here and now, we need to seek Jesus Christ in the Word of God because our theological beliefs and what we find in Scripture are what should inform our political action, the way of the kingdom of God should inform our political action, and yet too often see the other way around. We ignore key parts of Scripture, key parts of the way of Jesus, in order to fit the cultural and political framework that we have been given. And we have been formed by here's a couple of examples. The right ignores the Old Testaments and Jesus's call to care for the poor and needy, to welcome the refugee, the right has too low of a view of creation, our responsibility to steward it. And on the other hand, the left, the left ignores Jesus's claim to absolute truth and objective reality. It has too low of a view of sexuality and the human person. And so, as Christians, we occupy this unique space. Our goal is in political success as defined by American politics, we will never see the fullness of the kingdom of God through America, through the kingdom of America, it's a worldly kingdom, and it will pass away. So our goal isn't a success as defined by American politics. Instead, we affirm what is good, true, and beautiful according to what we see in Scripture. And we critique that which is a distortion of God's intention for his world, regardless of the party. The Christian approach to politics isn't about winning in some distorted sense, it's not about going back to some distorted conception of the glory days. Remember, America is not the kingdom of God, and it will pass away. But we are to reflect Christ's love and justice in the world. And when we see people in our community who are hurting who are in need, we don't explain it away with the buzzwords from our favorite political talking heads on both sides. We step in, and we reflect Christ's love and justice in our community. And that cannot be bound or claimed by any political party, no matter how hard they try. And so, to end our time today, let's look at what the Apostle Peter said about living with the kingdom mindset in the here and now. It comes from First Peter two, verses 13 through 17. It's in the back of your Bible, right after Hebrews. He writes, submits yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority, whether to the Emperor as a supreme authority or to the two governors who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and commend those who do right. For this God's will that by doing good, you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people, live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil. Live as God's slaves, and Show proper respect to everyone. Love the family of believers, fear God, and honor the Emperor. Shocking, isn't it?

Compare what we find in Scripture to how the American church has engaged in politics over the last 50 years, honestly, throughout the entirety of the history of the United States. Peter tells us to submit ourselves to authority over us, noticing he doesn't add nuance. He didn't say submit to the authority, as long as they won the election that you wanted them to win. Submit to authority, as long as you think they're credible, doesn't add nuance. He doesn't say submit to human authority if they act like a Christian, and you like their choices if you like their policies. He doesn't say revolt and establishes a Christian empire. He doesn't say undermine the Emperor, so we can find a new one who's going to be really good. And he also doesn't say, Love the family of believers, fear God and fight tyranny. He didn't say any of that. But yet, you would think that Scripture said these things based on how the American church has engaged in politics over the last 50 years. Here's the list of things he does say. Submit to every human authority, live as free people, but don't use your freedom as a cover-up for evil. Live as God's slaves, which could also be phrased as live as God's servants. Show proper respect to everyone. Love the family of believers, fear God, and honor the Emperor. Just some quick, fun context. Do you know who the Emperor was at the time that this was written? His name was Nero. And he was one of the most wicked and terrible emperors that Rome had ever seen. He's known for persecuting Christians. It said that he hung Christians in a garden on poles and lit them on fire as torches in his garden. He burned down half of the city just to justify rebuilding it and then blamed the cause of the fire on Christians.

And Nero was most likely the Emperor who oversaw the persecution in which Peter would become a martyr, the man who wrote the words that we just read. And so, I point this out to show you that our hope isn't in the politics of the nation that we find ourselves in. Our hope is in Jesus Christ in His return. We are citizens of a different kingdom. And so, as citizens of a different kingdom, we are not bound by a political party to use either of them but can be a prophetic witness against the wickedness in our nation as we commend the good and advocate for the marginalized. So it's evident that the big C church in America has not engaged in politics with a Christian approach. Other Christians on the other end have just been entirely apathetic, is that this is too complicated, this is too polarizing, I'm done, I'm out. We are called to see every person as an image-bearer, the Imago Dei therefore, we cannot just sit back, as Christians by the power of the Holy Spirit, or step into our vocation as image-bearers and children of God, by reflecting Christ's love and justice in the world, we applaud what is true, good and beautiful. And we critique the policies and ideas that are contrary to the way of Jesus and human flourishing. But this is a matter of spiritual formation. What now, this isn't about a mental assent to certain ideas and logic and saying, I want this thing, therefore I do it if this is really about being formed, what now because clearly, we have been formed as American Christians to engage in politics in an unhealthy way. We need counter formations to form ourselves away from the destructive formation that got us here in the first place. Now there are a number of things that we can start doing today that, if we continue in them daily, will form us to be people who engage in politics with a Christian approach and perspective for years to come. These disciplines are not met a magic formula to get what you want now or to get your best life now. Instead, they shape our desires, our loves, our joys, and our dreams for our future. And so, we begin with prayer. That is where everything begins. Because prayer keeps everything in perspective and cultivates our reliance upon God. In prayer, we realize we're not the main characters, we do not accomplish salvation, which is the work of God, and we do not accomplish ultimate restoration. American politics will not bring about ultimate restoration, and it will not bring about the fully realized kingdom of God. That is the work of God. He is the only one that will bring about ultimate justice at the end of the day. And do you know that he loves justice far more than you do and far more than I do. And so, we begin with prayer, both individually and communally. Then we move on to confession and confessing our sins to God and to other trusted Christians, we receive the grace of God, and we recognize that we have contributed to the brokenness in our world, our hands are not clean. Katelyn puts it this way. When we confess together as a community, we are reminded that none of our sins is truly personal or individual. We are implicated in patterns of sins natural to our culture and community. We are impacted by the sins of others, and we benefit from systematic sins we didn't personally commit. And so we confess our sins, knowing that God is faithful and just, and then he will forgive us and purify us. Next, we move on to the practice Sabbath. Now, if you don't know what Sabbath is, Sabbath is a 24-hour period in our week in which we cease all work, both paid and unpaid. So when we stop, rest, delight, and worship God, we recognize that the world does not need us, it does not need you, it does not need me, and we do not keep this thing running. God is the one who sustains our world, not you or I, and we also recognize that it is Christ alone who has accomplished our salvation and our restoration. Therefore, it relies on him, not us.

And in an interesting way, it also brings about justice in our community because it allows others to rest as we rest. Since we're not asking others to accomplish things with us or for us. We're not worried about gaining more possessions, buying more food, buying more toys, buying more, whatever. And so, it allows others to rest as we rest. Next, we move too fast. This is when we say no to food or drink for the sake of seeking the face of God in our own situations, but also for the sake of seeking the face of God for others. And what's interesting about fasting is in the early church, it was common practice for church communities to fast and then use the food that was that would have been eaten during that time and give it away to the poor and the needy among them. And so we have to ask, what would it look like to To embody fasting in a way the early church did. Next, we move towards reading scripture and communal in community, not just individually during our quiet time with God, but in community with others, because the primary ways that we encounter God are through Scripture and the church. And so, reading scripture and communities with who with others who are different from us and who have different backgrounds keeps us from distorting scripture with our own bias, it opens us up to the fullness of the gospel. You see, Scripture was meant to be read in the community with other Christians who come from different backgrounds. Before the incarnation of Jesus, the Old Testament was read in synagogues aloud with others who come from different backgrounds. In the early church, the New Testament letters and the Old Testament were read aloud in community with Christians who came from different socio-economic groups, different backgrounds, and different countries, Scripture is meant to be read in community. And then, finally, we have a rhythm of receiving the sacraments. Now, it's a really big churchy word if you're wondering what's the definition of a sacrament, the sacraments are a visible and physical sign of an invisible and spiritual grace. There are two sacraments baptism and the Lord's Supper. And in them, we receive Christ, and we receive His grace. In them, we are united with Christ, and we are united with one another. You see, the sacraments are embodied formational practices that remind us of our bond with one another. They remind us that Christ is what ultimately unites us, not our political beliefs. If you're wondering how much our union with Christ goes in our union with one another how deep that goes, you have more in common as a Christian with another Christian on the other side of the political aisle than you do with a non-believer who shares the same political beliefs as you do, and participates in the same hobbies. It is a reality. It is not a matter of likes and dislikes. It is true. In our union with Christ, we are united with one another, deeper than in any other way. And so, these practices form our loves and our desires and what we see as truly beautiful. And as we're formed by the Holy Spirit through these disciplines and other disciplines like them, we will better engage in politics with a Christian approach on the topic of spiritual disciplines and regards to politics, Caitlin chests remind us that the spiritual disciplines are not spiritual, because they have no real effect on the material world. They are spiritual because they are a means by which the Holy Spirit works in the life of the community of God, practicing the spiritual disciplines, but practicing the spiritual disciplines, prepares us for the work of the Holy Spirit. These practices shape us into people who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, go to Jesus Christ in the Word of God. That is where we are to go, not to Tucker Carlson, not to joy Reid, not to our website of choice, our social media platform of choice, those that we choose to follow because of their follower count.

And we think, Oh, well, they're popular people like them, they must be smart. Now we go to Jesus Christ and the word of God when we're scared, when we're confused, when we're sad, we're terrified about what the future holds. We go to Jesus Christ and the Word of God. The Christian approach is to see every person is made in the image of God, worthy of honor and respect. Whether we disagree with them, whether they look like us, or whether they act like us, they are made in the image of God and deserve to be treated as such. Knowing this, we reflect Christ's love and justice in the world through cheering on and affirming policies and legislation that are pleasing to God, while we stand with the marginalized against policies and legislation that are contrary to the will of God. And I believe that if we do if we take a Christian approach and thoughtfully engage in politics, we will see transformation in our communities, and it will ultimately point to the return of Jesus in the full realization of his kingdom. And so, let us pray to end our time today. Lord Jesus, I pray that you would forgive us for the moments when we were scared, when we were terrified, when we didn't know what the future held, and we went to other places instead of going to you in the Word of God, even though you are with us the whole time. I pray that you would form us through the practices that we inhabit by your Holy Spirit, that we may become a people. Those who go to you in the Word of God are people whose initial reaction is to go to you to think with a kingdom mindset. I pray that by being formed to be more like you that our old self would be put away. We will put off our old selves like dirty, ragged clothes and put on you like new clothes. Lord, be with us and continually shape us to be more like you. It's in your wonderful name. Amen.