Can we just huddle up for a moment, Church? You, me and Jesus…can we make a plan, get our story straight? Because it’s about to become very armageddon-ish out there, and I think we just need to set the ground rules, do some pinky swearin’, re-up on who we are, you know? Because it’s goin’ down tomorrow, and we can be sure of one thing — emotions will be running high on both ends of the feeling stick. So we’ve got one day to make a decision.

As the royal priesthood of God, those who have been entrusted with the gospel, with the very message of Christ, those who are called to walk in love, in mercy, in kindness, and in compassion. As children of the unmoving, unchanging, all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present King of kings — how will we respond?

If we don’t know how we’re going to handle it if one candidate wins instead of the other, then I’m thinking we need to introduce our faces to the carpet and let them meet together until we reach a decision. We have the mandate to walk in the Spirit but you and I both know the temptation to walk in flesh will be oh so strong. We are human, and we’re about to have some very human emotions, so we need to figure out what we’re going to do.

We need to decide today who we’re going to be tomorrow.

So, since I’m the one with the talking stick at the moment, here I go.

No name calling. No accusations of self-righteousness, idiocy, traitor and the like. I know, it shouldn’t even need to be said, but it does. Because I’ve been on the playground too and I’ve heard it. From us. Let’s just go ahead and decide now not to be the mean kids.

No fear mongering. No throwing our hands up and saying all is lost. We are not chicken littles and the sky is not falling. We are the Church, and God is in charge of the sky staying where it is. Or not.

No gloating. If the person you voted for wins, you will not act like you parted the sea and saved our country. You did not. At best, you obeyed God in the voting booth. Any and all glory for anything whatsoever always belongs to God. Amen?

No political party blaming. That’s right. We don’t do that because that is beneath who we are. We will not attempt to accuse or blame people who have a different political persuasion than us that they have just ended the world as we know it. We will not throw dramatic hissy fits. Or hissy fits in general. It’s unattractive.

We will not engage in senseless arguments that end up pushing others away as we try to make ourselves feel better, validated, vindicated or better than, letting our flesh have a dance party all over the place. Seriously. No one wants to see that.

We will, as God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Because this is what we do, this is how we live. This is who we are.

We will be at peace because we were called to peace.

We will dwell on whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable. 

We will maintain our stance, not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. 

That’s right. Whoever wins the battle for the White House, we are still at war. But we do not fight on the enemy’s terms. While he would have us drawing blood from one another, leaving him unscathed and uninterrupted, we are the Church and we. don’t. play. like. that.

We will take our fight to the battlefield on which we are most equipped for victory. As those who are called by His name, we will humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways. Because we know, don’t we Church? We know His promise.

…then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

We will take up our cross and deny ourselves. We will love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind, and we will love others as ourselves. We will not return evil for evil, but will overcome evil with good. We will speak the truth in love, not shout it in anger. We will do this in our own lives, in our homes, in our cities, and in our country. Because that is how the Church does war. That is how we refuse the enemy’s attempts to drag us through the mud during an election.

Whatever happens, Church, we don’t break rank. We do not behave as people we are not. No matter what, we will conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Yes? Let me hear you, Church.

Good huddle everyone. You are awesome and I know that, by the power and grace of God, we can do this!