Oct 19, 2026 · 17 min · 10 segments
This is Pastor Johnston's sermon at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI for Pentecost 21. We'd love to have you join us at Resurrection for a Sunday Divine Service sometime at 9am. As…
How caught up have you gotten in it all? Have you become apathetic, just not caring at all, tuning out and tuning off? Or have you been scrolling and fretting? Have you asked how you can serve your neighbor in everyday life, or have you wondered if perhaps they might be a partisan of the other side, whatever that side might be? As Christ, seated on his throne in heaven, remained at the forefront in your thinking, or have you been consumed by worrying about who might sit in Congress? Have you set your mind on the tasks of your vocations, knowing you can at least control that, what you do in your daily life in the spheres of influence God has given you? Or have you fallen into thinking the most important thing, maybe the only thing you can do that matters, is step in a booth or fill out a form that you make sure gets mailed in on time? From all this, you might be thinking, well, Pastor Johnston seems to think elections don't matter.
No, I'm a trained historian.
I've studied history a little bit.
I realize that elections do matter.
They do make a difference.
And maybe you're sitting there wondering, well, what's Pastor Johnston's politics? What side is he trying to tell us to be on? Well, I'll assure you, if you want to know my politics, you've got to buy me a coffee or a beer and they won't be nearly as exciting as you might think they are.
And and they're not something I share willy-nilly because I've been called to share the things of God.
That's not to say, though, that our faith doesn't inform our political positions.
It does.
We want to promote good and oppose evil.
And we know it's good for our society.
It's good for our neighbor.
It's good for everyone when the state does that too.
Promotes good and opposes evil.
Today, though, I want us to remember one very important thing, and I get to use two nerdy words.
They're two of my favorite words to use.
And that's that elections and politics are penultimate, not ultimate.
Penultimate means second to last.
It's not the supreme.
It's not the final.
It's not the main thing.
Penultimate things are important, but they're not the ultimate thing.
The ultimate thing is Christ, who reigns supreme over all things.
This life is important and our life together, that's what politics means, our life as a city or as a political entity together, that matters, but you were made for more than just however the next election cycle lasts, you were made for eternity.
How caught up have you gotten in it all? Have you become apathetic, just not caring at all, tuning out and tuning off? Or have you been scrolling and fretting? Have you asked how you can serve your neighbor in everyday life, or have you wondered if perhaps they might be a partisan of the other side, whatever that side might be? As Christ, seated on his throne in heaven, remained at the forefront in your thinking, or have you been consumed by worrying about who might sit in Congress? Have you set your mind on the tasks of your vocations, knowing you can at least control that, what you do in your daily life in the spheres of influence God has given you? Or have you fallen into thinking the most important thing, maybe the only thing you can do that matters, is step in a booth or fill out a form that you make sure gets mailed in on time? From all this, you might be thinking, well, Pastor Johnston seems to think elections don't matter.
No, I'm a trained historian.
I've studied history a little bit.
I realize that elections do matter.
They do make a difference.
And maybe you're sitting there wondering, well, what's Pastor Johnston's politics? What side is he trying to tell us to be on? Well, I'll assure you, if you want to know my politics, you've got to buy me a coffee or a beer and they won't be nearly as exciting as you might think they are.
And and they're not something I share willy-nilly because I've been called to share the things of God.
That's not to say, though, that our faith doesn't inform our political positions.
It does.
We want to promote good and oppose evil.
And we know it's good for our society.
It's good for our neighbor.
It's good for everyone when the state does that too.
Promotes good and opposes evil.
Today, though, I want us to remember one very important thing, and I get to use two nerdy words.
They're two of my favorite words to use.
And that's that elections and politics are penultimate, not ultimate.
Penultimate means second to last.
It's not the supreme.
It's not the final.
It's not the main thing.
Penultimate things are important, but they're not the ultimate thing.
The ultimate thing is Christ, who reigns supreme over all things.
This life is important and our life together, that's what politics means, our life as a city or as a political entity together, that matters, but you were made for more than just however the next election cycle lasts, you were made for eternity.
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