Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Pastor Dressler here on this day after election day. Well, things still hang in the balance. It’s not the first time we’ve run into a close decision like this. But it’s never easy. Waiting to find out who’s going to run the country for the next four years isn’t exactly fun either.

The voter turnout this year was remarkably high in comparison with previous years, a sign that many people think there’s more at stake in this election. And maybe that’s true. But there’s another side of this that I want to share with you. Who leads the country does matter. It does have the potential to change lives. But when it comes down to it, our individual influence on the national scale is so small! We should vote. God wants us to be good stewards in that way. Yet the absence of one particular individual doesn’t make that much difference in the national political scene.

But do you know where you do make a difference, where your absence would be keenly felt? In the lives of your family. In the life of your neighbors and friends. In the life of this congregation, of Salem. You may not be able to have a big impact in Washington, but you have a huge impact among your brothers and sisters here.

So what? Well, two things. Firstly, yes we’re waiting for the election results. But as I mentioned a couple Sundays ago, the Final election has already taken place. God has elected His Son Jesus as Lord of all, and He has elected you as His child in baptism. Your future is secure.

Secondly, no matter what the upshot of the 2020 election will be, remember that God has chosen this particular time, and this particular place for you. And no matter who’s in charge of the country, God wants you to have an impact, to be salt and light, to be a servant in that community in which He has placed you – your family, your neighborhood, this congregation.

Know that I’m praying for you and I ask for your prayers too. And don’t forget that I’m always ready and willing to chat on the phone if you should want to talk.

So, until we see each other again, go in peace and serve your neighbor!