I'm writing this the morning after the federal election. Before I got out of bed I was searching the Elections Canada site for results, especially for the ridings in Kitchener. As of this moment (9:15am on April 29th), Kitchener Centre is split between three parties with only 423 votes between first and second; Kitchener South - Hespeler is only 1,148 votes between first and second; and Kitchener-Conestoga has only a 371 vote difference. I do not envy the candidates waiting for the results to be finalized. (And why is there always one poll that hasn't reported??) Of over 179,000 votes, 1,942 is the difference in the three Kitchener ridings.

I'm not a political expert. I'm sure these results will be analyzed exhaustively over the coming days by those trained to do so, and certainly, the results across the country don't all look like Kitchener. But these results certainly show you that in the community where we live, work, raise our families and worship together, there are some pretty big differences in how we think. This election shows what we likely already knew - we are divided in what we believe is best for our country. We are divided in what we value and our vision for the future of Canada. And, until Jesus returns and makes all things new under His Kingship, this will be true.

So, how do we respond in the meantime? We do what Christ-followers have always done. We pray. If your candidate was elected, pray. If your candidate wasn't elected, pray. If you excited or disappointed, worried or hopeful... pray.

I found a great resource from Life Church to help us know how to pray for our leaders. I encourage you to click the link and read more but I will include two of the prayers that I found especially meaningful.

A Prayer for Protection and Safety for Government Leaders
God, You are very good to me. I pray You will be very good to those in public service at all levels in my country and the world. I pray You would keep them safe, bring health to their bodies, and protect their daily routines and travel. You are the ultimate provider, and I pray our leaders will come to know and experience You as a strong refuge. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

A Prayer for Our Country
God, thank You for loving every person in our country. Please help me to love, care, and believe the best about others. Even though people in our country disagree on many issues, please don’t let political divisions cause us to see others as enemies. Instead, provide us with unity that leads to kind, respectful, and constructive actions. Amen.

Join me in praying especially for Prime Minister Carney (and his wife, Diana) by name as he leads his party to lead our country.

In Christ,
Pastor Tracy

Don't forget Pastor Ethan's farewell service on Sunday, followed by ice cream sundaes and a gift card shower for him and Angeli!