It was the fall of 2020. Our final worship service for the morning had just finished. I was in the lobby greeting first-time guests. As I spoke with a new family, I could feel the presence of a long-time church member standing behind my right shoulder. Every few minutes, he would inch closer to me, ensuring that he’d be the next person to have my attention. Once I said goodbye to the family, I turned around to greet him.

“Hey, Sam. Good to see you this morning.”

We exchanged some pleasantries and talked about the weather, the Brewers, and how his job transition had been going. Then he got serious. He took out his Bible and said,

“I need to show you something.”

He opened the front flap, and inside the cover was a small pamphlet for one of two presidential candidates. As soon as I saw the pamphlet, my heart sank. Sam didn’t say much. He just nodded his head and, with a sense of urgency in his eyes, said, “He’s our guy. He’s the one we want in charge.”

Sam had a few disparaging comments to say about the opponent of this particular candidate and how the individual he was supporting was “God’s man for the job.”

I’m confident you’ve had similar conversations throughout the last few election cycles. Moments like this put us in a difficult position. As preachers, we are called to be people of the text. We have the responsibility of faithfully communicating the truth of God’s Word and calling people into his story.

While we all have different social and political convictions, the Scriptures do not overtly support any political candidate or party. Therefore, it can be disheartening to see members of your congregation have a stronger conviction about American politics than the Kingdom of God.

Conversations like the one above raise the question, “How are we to respond?” Do we simply smile and nod to avoid an awkward lobby conversation that we don’t have the energy for after a busy Sunday morning? Do we roll up our sleeves, open our Bible, and go point and counterpoint, hoping the words of Scripture will convict the individual to see things in a new light? Do we deflect the interaction and invite them to email our administrative assistant to set up a time to talk, hoping they’ll never follow through?

Or … do we preach on it?

Politics in the pulpit is a minefield that, if handled poorly, can easily blow apart a church. This leaves a pastor, if not needing to find a new job, with the challenge of putting the pieces of rubble back together. However, if handled wisely, it has the potential to reorient a congregation around the words of Christ in John 17 to be a unifying force in a season characterized by division and strife.

Many pastors observe that the anxiety level of our people increases every four years from August through October during the final push of campaign season. There is a real fear that what happens at the polls will threaten the unique version of “The American Dream” that any individual might have. When God is thrust into the mix and passages of Scripture are used out of context to support one’s position, it creates a breeding ground for antagonism and anger.

“Jesus For President” (adapted from Shane Claiborne’s book with the same title) was a series I preached during a recent election cycle to bring perspective to our church with the hopes of calming our congregation’s anxiety, anger, and fear . My goal each week was to point our people to Jesus and remind them that he is what we need more than any candidate who might ever sit in office.

Character Beats Criticism

Over the years, presidential debates have become more painful to watch. They’ve started to resemble something of an insult battle that you’d find in the halls of a middle school rather than a thoughtful professional discourse between two world leaders. The New York Times reported on the June 2024 Presidential debate detailing how much time each candidate spent attacking their opponent. The two candidates combined spent roughly forty percent of the debate insulting each other. It should be no surprise that our country is so quick to attack each other when that’s what our leaders model.

Week one of Jesus For President was spent exploring Philippians 1:27-2:11, which highlights the sacrificial character of Christ. Our society is a me-first culture steeped in selfish ambition and vain conceit (2:3). When we follow suit, we tend to think in terms of the questions “What’s best for me?” and “How can I get ahead?” even when it comes at the expense of other people.

This way of thinking is the foundation on which our country’s political landscape is built. The desire for power and position has intoxicated our leaders and the hope of their victory has infected us. When we adopt our political culture’s mindset and leadership strategies, we end up living in opposition to the gospel rather than “in a manner worthy of it” (1:27).

Jesus’ sacrificial life and death challenge the leadership models of our day, showing that there is a different way to lead. It’s a leadership strategy that is marked by tenderness and compassion. It values humility over achievement. It prioritizes others over self. And it results in glory that is eternal rather than temporary.

Kingdom Over Country

We are shaped by the stories we tell. Our nation’s narrative pillars are rugged individualism, self-sufficiency, and independence. The belief associated with these pillars is that if you work hard enough, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and never give up, greatness and success can be yours.

This is often the origin story of many political candidates who run for office. They tell how, from their humble beginnings, they built a life of meaning, significance, and success through hard work and determination. The good news they proclaim is that, if elected, they can help you do the same.

Jesus, however, told very different stories. He told stories about failure and redemption, striving for humility rather than greatness, and how those who come in first are actually last. In telling these stories, Jesus describes a new reality he called the Kingdom of God. If Jesus were an actual presidential candidate, this would be his presidential agenda.

It’s easy for our people to get caught up in stories of prosperity and greatness often told in our culture, especially during election season. Therefore, in week two of the series, I chose a parable of the Kingdom to help remind people that Jesus operates with a different paradigm.

While many parables would’ve worked, I chose the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matt. 20:1-16). It captures how the pursuit of success can be futile. It also serves as a reminder that what we need more than prosperity and greatness is the compassion and grace demonstrated by the landowner.

Therefore, the invitation from Jesus is to give your primary allegiance to him and his Kingdom rather than any presidential candidate and country.

Exile: The Place We Find Ourselves

The unique reality of Jesus’ Kingdom is that it’s present in our world, but not fully here. It’s kind of like a movie trailer. We get to see a glimpse of the film in two and a half minutes, but we are waiting for the full movie to arrive.

When the Kingdom arrives in full, we will finally be at home in God’s new world. Until then, we are in exile. We are like foreigners in a strange land that’s not our own. Peter writes, “Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles …” (1 Peter 2:11).

The reality of exile has been true for the people of God all through the Scriptures. From captivity in Egypt to exile in Babylon, along with the Roman occupation of Israel and even in our day, God’s people have continually been waiting for their eternal home.

In week three of the series, I preached on Jeremiah 29, in which the prophet writes a letter to the exiles living in Babylon instructing them on how to live. He tells them to build houses, plant gardens, marry off their children, and seek the welfare of their city. He tells them to settle in because exile is going to last for a while and if their community prospers, so will they. If we are also in exile, we should do the same.

But we must also remember that our ultimate hope isn’t found in our culture, community, or the people who lead it. Three times in his letter, Jeremiah says exile isn’t forever. God’s plan is to bring them home (v. 10, 14). Therefore, our hope isn’t found in politics, but in God and the promises of his Kingdom.

God Is Sovereign Over All

Bad leadership is all too common in our world. Unfortunately, it’s no different in the church. Over the last decade, pastoral scandals have become a mainstay in the daily news cycle. But this isn’t a new phenomenon. Ungodly leadership has been a reality for God’s people for a long time.

The books of First and Second Kings are filled with a litany of evil kings who were supposed to lead God’s people in holiness and obedience to the Scriptures. Instead, they prioritized their individual kingdoms over God’s. The result was exile.

I planned the final week of the series to fall on the Sunday after the presidential election. I knew that some people would be glad that their candidate won, and others would be disappointed that their candidate lost. I also knew that those who supported the losing candidate might be overrun with anxiety and fear.

On the last Sunday of the series, I preached from the final passage of 2 Kings. The last two chapters of 2 Kings tell the story of the final kings of Israel, all of whom “did evil in the eyes of the Lord,” as Babylon took them over.

One of those kings was Jehoiachin. His rule ended when he was captured by Nebuchadnezzar and taken as a prisoner. He remained a prisoner in Babylon for thirty-seven years. But in the final verses of the book, he’s released from prison. He’s given royal clothes, a regular allowance from the king, and a seat of honor at the king of Babylon’s table.

It’s a peculiar ending that’s disruptive and almost offensive. Why would an evil king who led God’s people astray finish his life being treated as royalty?

When viewed in the context of the entire Bible, Jehoiachin is found again in Matthew’s genealogy in Matthew 1. He’s there because he’s a link in the lineage from Abraham to Jesus. God uses his defiant and rebellious life to further his plan of restoration, which stands as a reminder to us that even when bad leaders prevail, God is sovereign over all and continually brings redemption out of our mess.

Politics in the pulpit can feel overwhelming and intimidating. We might feel that if we speak against a specific candidate, we could incite a firestorm in our congregation. The good news is there are no grounds in Scripture for believing one political party is “God-ordained” and the other one is in “allegiance with Satan.” That means there's no need to choose a side or speak against anyone. What our people need is perspective.

The Sunday before we started the series, I announced it from the pulpit so that our congregation would know what was coming. I’ll never forget the looks on their faces. Eyes widened. People sat up straight, their backs stiff with tensions. I even had people shake their heads “No.” I think people were afraid that I was going to pick a side and encourage them to vote for a particular candidate.

But once I described the purpose and intention for the series, I could feel the tension leave the room. After the first week I had many people express gratitude. They were thankful for the weekly reminder that Jesus is King, and his kingdom endures forever.

It’s good to be an informed citizen. We should exercise our right to vote. It’s ok to have strong opinions and convictions about public policy. But at the end of the day, “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20).

Take courage. Speak boldly. Point people to Jesus. Trust he’s sovereign over all. If your people see this in you, they might be inspired to do the same.

Bryan Marvel is the Senior Pastor of Meadowbrook Church in Milwaukee, WI.