We, Wise and Foolish: A Senior Pastor’s Reflection in the Wake of the Election
We, Wise and Foolish
A Senior Pastor’s Reflection in the Wake of the Election
November 4, 2026
On the day after the Midterm Elections I feel compelled to offer a reflection. The timing of the election was meaningful to me, taking place on the second day of my new job as Senior Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sacramento. I take the responsibility of being pastor to the people of this parish very seriously. This call places in my hands the burden (in the best sense of that word) of holding the cares and concerns of all members of the community, both inside and outside of the congregation — rich and poor, housed and unhoused, healthy and ill, strong in faith and questioning, liberal and conservative. No matter my own political party affiliation or personal opinions, I am entrusted with a sacred work that I do not take lightly.
Last week in Rome, the basketball teams of Notre Dame and Villanova played against each other. Pope Leo XIV met with both sides prior to the game. Robert Prevost is an alum of Villanova, so he may have had a personal stake in the outcome of the rivalry. But as a pastor I was struck by how he threaded the needle; he said to the crowd, “The Pope doesn’t take sides. Prevost has another opinion, but we won’t do that now.” The crowd laughed at the tongue-in-cheek moment. For me it triggered a recognition about my own role and call.
A college basketball game is probably pretty low on the scale of monumental moments, except maybe for the most avid fans of the two teams involved. But when it comes to politics and national elections, the stakes can feel incredibly high. For the last three decades we have faced these moments of national discernment geared up for a fight. Every election cycle seems more consequential and more virulent in its rhetoric than the last. We, the People, approach every trip to the ballot box with a mix of trepidation, hope, anger and deep anxiety. And for many it can feel like an existential crisis if our side doesn’t win. So, I know there are people in my community and across the country who are feeling deflated and maybe even distraught by the results coming over the media waves last evening and this morning.
The Scripture I was given by the lectionary for my first Sunday in the pulpit is the parable of the “Wise and Foolish Young Women” from Matthew 25:1-13. I will let you read it for yourself. But the gist is that there are 10 young women, 5 labeled “wise” and the other 5 “foolish” based on their ability or lack thereof to predict and prepare for the future. The foolish are found lacking when the moment of reckoning comes, while the wise leave them out in the cold, justified in their own prudence. You can come to Sunday worship at St. John’s in-person or livestream to hear what I have to say in more depth.
Leaving aside that this is a parabolic allegory, I think it is unfair to think these labels are in any way identifiers of the character of these women. They are, like all of us, both saint and sinner; faithful and flawed. They, all of them, are eager to meet the moment with excitement and commitment. But who among us has not been found lacking at times when it mattered most?
Coming back to the election, the way we talk about each other — Democrats and Republicans — from the opposing side is appalling. Speaker Mike Johnson prior to Tuesday, said that the choice between Republicans and Democrats is the difference between “common sense and crazy.” Now, I am not being partisan in calling out Mike Johnson, but this strikes me as the tone across the board from liberals and conservatives when speaking about the other side.
Our differences may hold some distinguishing factors in society, but what unites us in the church is our universal need for the true freedom Christ offers in baptism. There are no distinctions when it comes to the love of God. We, the People, are God’s people because Christ has made it so.
This brings me back to my recognition that Pastor Kienzle will meet with love and empathy the disappointment, fear and anxiety of those whose candidates did not get elected just as she holds the joy and hope of others who see a new day emerging. That is my call as pastor to you, the People. I know many among you may speculate about my political views. I may even share them at times. But Amy’s personal opinion is not what matters. Pastor Kienzle’s role is to listen deeply to you, hold your concerns in love, challenge you to consider what the Gospel calls us all to do in our lives (even in exercising our right to vote), and speak into the moments of consequence with confidence in the hope that belongs to all of us through the one who redeems ALL (the Wise and Foolish alike).
