I have a love/hate relationship with Election Day. I hate it because people go out of their minds. This year I came back to church after the polls closed to help clean up. I helped the poll workers and then put chairs and tables away. The last three years, almost no candidate sent people to take back their signs. This is private property yet they never ask permission to put them up. So I figured I would get a head start in removing them from the property. Taking down the political signs is one of my favorite things to do. I collected them and put them in a neat pile to be picked up for recycling. In the morning, post-it notes were on the door from an angry candidate who lost. She was angry that someone disturbed her signs that she wanted back. I can’t win on Election Day. In previous years, the day was difficult because school was in session and I tried to protect both ends of the building from intrusion by strangers. The kids were basically in lock down.
This year, we requested that CCLS close on this date. They complied. I got to be a host instead of a hall monitor. I made coffee for everyone, starting at the end of the line and working my way up. One doctor in scrubs looked like he really needed it. People seemed genuinely shocked that a church went out of its way to make the day better for them. The poll workers also appreciated my coffee visits. It’s a great opportunity to give a good impression to thousands of our neighbors. I love this about Election Day.
Lutherans believe in two kingdoms, the left and the right hand kingdoms. The left hand is the kingdom of power which is the realm of government, society and culture. The right hand is the kingdom of grace which is the realm of the Church. As Christians, we want our neighbors to be blessed by a functioning, healthy left hand kingdom. This does make people’s day to day lives better. But it is only through the right hand of the Church that the world can know their Lord and Savior. Whoever wins the presidency has nothing to do with that. We can rest assured that there is no vote for the leader of God’s people. It is Christ and nothing can overtake it. Leave your Election Day stress behind. God is good and in charge.
