Concord Minute: Trust the One who still reigns

“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.” - Psalm 146:3-4

Hmph. That’s strange. The sun rose Wednesday morning post-election. I for sure thought that everything would be do-or-die come Tuesday night. Guess not. What a reminder: Jesus is still Lord of His creation. No matter who is in office or voted into office, Jesus still reigns.

Southeast Missouri still seems intact. No apocalyptic event just yet… Hmph. That’s strange. Or is it?

Jesus still reigns as Lord and King. David knew that well when he wrote Psalm 146. It is extremely foolish to put your trust (or to use language in the church, faith) in governmental leaders. There is zero salvation accomplishable through our governmental leaders. What President-Elect Trump cannot do for you is secure eternal life. What any of our elected officials in Missouri cannot do (nor, being honest, would they ever try) is bring about our salvation. Our elected officials have no bearing on matters of eternal consequence. Only Jesus. Christians need to be aware of these verses from Psalm 146: don’t put your faith in governmental leaders. Do put your faith in God, namely Jesus. Our elected officials have a high chance of failing us. Jesus never fails in accomplishing His endeavors for you.

In the Gospel of Mark, there is a story about a widow and her two coins. That time period is what you and I call “Passion Week.” Jesus is in His Father’s House watching people place their contributions into one of the 13 “offering plates” in the temple. Many scribes and wealthy people brought in their money, sometimes substantial amounts. But Jesus wasn’t as interested in the Scribes’ actions as He was a widow submitting her own: two coins not worth the metal used to make them. This widow gave all she had into the “offering plate.” Unlike the scribes who didn’t make a sacrificial gift (for they had much left over), the widow gave all she had. The widow trusted in the One who reigns: Jesus. The widow made a total sacrifice by placing everything she had into the temple’s hands. Jesus taught His disciples that she is to be celebrated and admired for she placed her trust fully in her Lord, not in her wealth, her government, or anything else. The widow placed her trust in the One who reigns.

Now, you and I might think that this widow was foolish to spend all she had on God. Couldn’t she have held onto one of the coins? Couldn’t she have skipped a week, a month, a year of tithes to get back on her feet? Is this widow that dumb to make such a sacrificial testament of faith? Perhaps from the world’s perspective, yes. But from the viewpoint of Jesus, this widow exhibited true faith in her Lord and God, in the one who reigns as the risen and ascended King.

So, post-election, who are you placing your faith in? An elected official? Or Jesus?

Choose wisely.

The Rev. Matthew Berry is pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Sikeston, Missouri. Based in Sikeston’s Historic North End, Concordia is a member congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), a theologically conservative, biblically sound, Christ-centered church.