Today is Tuesday, November 7 and we all know what that means…it is election day.  Yup that’s right…and I am excited.  I am almost as giddy as a cat watching a truck overturn in its front yard spilling out pet mice, birds and fish.  There is a sense of relief washing over me similar to that of a pitcher watching his center fielder rob a potential game winning grand slam in the bottom of the 9th inning in game seven of the World Series.  There is a feeling of freedom washing over me comparable to a 10 year old running out the front doors of their school on the last day.  Election day is here and I am excited.  Can you you tell?

One of the things I am not going to miss is the increased number of phone calls.  You see…I used to have this sense of wonder at who might be calling when the phone rang.  Sometimes it’s church related business. Sometimes it’s Connie’s mom(so I let Connie deal with that call…thank God for caller ID).  Once in a while it’s a friend calling.  But these past few months the sense of wonder has disappeared and turned to annoyance; because more times than not, when the phone rings, it is a political call.

Now when the phone rings I always check the caller ID so I can mentally prepare myself for those two seconds before I push the "call" button on my phone.  When I see it is a political call I do one of three things; I either ignore the call and let the machine deal with it, I might answer the phone and promptly hang up again or I will answer and get a little feisty.  But these candidates are getting smart and having computers make these calls with recorded messages.  It is hard to be feisty with a machine.  They don’t seem to care.  This completely takes the wind out of my sails.

But now these calls are coming to an end.  I will be out of the house today until well after supper and by then the polls will be closing.  I might have a stray message on the machine, but those are easy to deal with.   

Other things are also coming to an end.  The annoying political ads on TV will be replaced with annoying commercials.  Our "decorated" landscape (of campaign signs) will slowly look naked again.  And the talk downtown at the coffee shop will return to the usual; the weather and the pathetic Vikings.

But as I look back at this latest season of campaigning the following words/phrases come to mind: mud slinging, negative, attacking, double talk, who to trust?, calculated/programmed responses, and <fill in your own word/phrase>.  I wonder…do these candidates actually think they can win votes through negative means?  Do they think you can scare people into voting for them by telling them how bad their opponent is?  Why can’t campaigning be about telling people good news?  Why can’t politicians do more than just tell people want they want to hear rather than what they need to hear?  I guess Jesus would’ve made a bad politician according to today’s standards.

And I am glad Jesus is a "bad" politician.  Jesus tells us what we NEED to hear; that we are sinners in need of a Savior.  We are lost sheep in need of a Shepherd.  We are powerless on our own.  We have no direction or life without Him.  Jesus tells us what we need to hear.  We may not like it, but then again, take a harder look at yourself.  What Jesus tells us is indeed true.  But also what Jesus tells us is life saving.  For if you "elect" Jesus as the Savior of your life, you won’t be taking a shot in the dark with some candidate, you will be putting your eternal life in Jesus’ hands. 

So looking back (and forward) to Jesus campaign (one that will never end) these are the words/phrases that come to mind: Eternal life, forgiveness, healing, love, compassion, family, welcoming, acceptance, tenderness, <this is fun isn’t>, gentleness, peace, and I could go on and on. 

"I am the Alpha and the Omega; the beginning and the end." (Revelation 21:6) This is a campaign slogan I can get on board with.  Jesus is THE Savior of the world.  There is no other viable candidate.  There is no other option.  Jesus is one we can trust.  Jesus is one we can live with (and will live with through faith).  Jesus is the One for us.  So get excited…Jesus reigns and he will reign forever.  Praise be to God and Amen! -EDH-