A Word from the Vine No. 545: The Politics of Grace

Hello again, friends. This is A Word from the Vine, and I’m Pastor Loren Christensen, coming to you from the Danish Countryside Chapel in Exira.

Now I know this might be a little risky to say on the radio — but I think we need to talk about politics.

Not party platforms. Not who’s right or wrong. But something deeper. Something more important.

Grace.

You see, we live in a time when it’s easier to divide than to unite. Easier to label than to listen. But Jesus didn’t come to build political coalitions. He came to build a Kingdom — and that Kingdom runs on grace.

In Luke 6:27, Jesus says:

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”

Now I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen that on a campaign sign.

And yet, that’s the politics of grace. It’s not about winning arguments. It’s about winning hearts. It’s not about being loud. It’s about being loving.

Let me put it this way: You can be a good American without being a good Christian. But you can’t be a good Christian in America without being a good American — and that means loving your neighbor, even when they vote different, think different, or live different.

I once had a church member — sweet lady, sharp as a tack — who told me, “Pastor, I don’t know how to love people I don’t understand.” And I said, “Start by listening. Grace begins where assumptions end.”

So here’s your word from the vine today: Let your faith shape your politics — not the other way around. And let grace be your platform.

Because the world doesn’t need more noise. It needs more neighbors.

This is Pastor Loren. Thanks for listening — and go love somebody today.