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On Monday, I had lunch with other clergy. In the middle of the meal, Rev. Ann Schwartz, our Lead Presbyter, shared, “I only listened to music on my way over. All the political talk can be too much.” Then she asked, “How are you all doing with this election season?” Until that moment, I didn’t realize how much I needed that question. If you had asked me a few days earlier, I would have said, “I’m fine,” but on this Monday morning, my pastor asked me how I was doing, and it surprised me to realize how stressed I was from all the politics all around me.

Like many people, I felt the weightiness of this election, and I found myself feeling stress before I had even voted and well-before a winner had been declared. Now, on Wednesday I woke up to a result.  Like many of you, I find myself feeling a mix of emotions. I’m not specifying which emotions, by the way. Whether excitement or anger, fear or joy, hopefulness or dread, today may feel like either a release or a crash, depending on one’s worldview.

But as Christians, our faith is rooted in something far greater than, even, the most consequential elections. While political decisions and leaders have an outsized impact, our hope doesn’t rest in them. Since 2008, I’ve been reminding congregations after every election: that if we put our faith primarily in any human leader, we will ultimately be disappointed, nor can we blame any one person when things go wrong. As Christians, we don’t just put our faith in leaders, but we put our faith, first, in Christ Jesus. As we face a world of mixed emotions and deeply divided political views, we’re called to unite as a community to live out the love, grace, and hope of Christ.

True change begins in our local communities, and I see it alive, here, at First Presbyterian. This election was never going to change our character. Today, blessings in a backpack were picked up and delivered—a testament to our enduring commitment to care for children. And on Sunday, we’ll shake hands or hug during worship because our love for one other extends far beyond which oval was filled-in on a ballot.

Christ calls us to be filled with love, grace, and compassion, and brings hope to a world that needs it.  Our on-going mission is to spread that hope, just like we have done, as a congregation, before and after each of the last 48 Presidential elections. We are a church of love, a church of hope, and a church that believes in the possibility of healing for this divided world.

Together, let’s continue our work in faith and hope, grounded in Christ’s calling to be a light in our community.