20 Pharisees asked Jesus when God’s kingdom was coming. He replied, “God’s kingdom isn’t coming with signs that are easily noticed. 21 Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ Don’t you see? God’s kingdom is already among you.” Luke 17:20-21
It’s election day, and chances are it will be a week or more before we know the full results. I can pray and hope for a peaceful process to unfold, but the truth is, we are too divided to expect that to happen. I very strongly want my candidate to win, and I think the other candidate will do great harm to our country and the world. For some reason, people on the other side feel the same way about my candidate. We’re not both right. A dark cloud hangs over this election, and every time I check the headlines or see another political ad I find my anxiety rising quickly.
Today’s comic is about self-care in the midst of the turmoil around this election. It is a reminder that for all that is beyond our control, the kingdom of God remains within and among you. This is not a call to be ignorant of what is going on in the world right now, but to give yourself space to breathe, to step away from the panic machine for long enough to practice being a disciple of Jesus Christ in this world. Regardless of who wins, there will still be plenty of work to be done. There will still be reason to protest and work against injustice. There will still be opportunities to speak out for the marginalized.
In Isaiah 2:4, we get the famous imagery that nation shall not lift up sword against nation, they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. While I know that this is an eschatological vision for an end to war and violence, I can’t help but hear it as a call to how we practice peacemaking in the world today. Justice comes through the slow work of tilling the soil until oppression shall cease. It comes from carefully pruning away the dead systems that marginalize and strip people of their dignity.
There is much work to be done, my friends. So lets take a minute to breathe in the goodness of God’s love and remember that kingdom which remains inside of each of us. Then lace up your shoes and prepare to join in the work of tilling and pruning, until God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.