Election Day. There have been so many early voters – myself included – and mail-in votes that today will be just another of those days; that is until we anxiously try to stay up in hopes of knowing who POTUS #47 will be.

We have been in the modern era, or the age of the nation-state, since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The rumblings even were beginning during Luther’s time a century before, with the Age of Enlightenment grabbing a hold. And, after thirty years of war in Europe, people were weary of violence at the behest of organized religion. Christian faith became more tolerant and privatized. Mystery and devotion to God got pushed to the periphery by the concept/reality of the nation-state. Imagination and wonder gave way to power and authority. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost? How about self, state, and economy? The epoch of modernity had begun.

So it is, that for the past three + centuries, Christianity did not occupy space in the public square. Re-foundings are bubbling and fermenting – maybe even convulsing. U.S.A. 2024 finds us grappling over so-called “Christian nationalism”. I am only stating what is, the sitz im leben. Blogs are not places to stir up arguments. In my sermon Sunday, I hope I made the distinction between the kingdom of God and the nation-state. In our democracy, we get a chance every four years to either “right the ship” or “stay the course”. No matter who becomes POTUS #47, God will still be God, loving us unconditionally. Whatever the outcome, God will reveal His purpose in His time. Maybe we’re in the birth pangs of post-modernity, since it has been over five hundred years since the last upheaval. Our faith shall ensure that we’ll be okay, my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Pastor Art