40 Days of Prayer Before the Election Devotional 2024

Welcome to Mission Hills United Church of Christ.

At Mission Hills UCC, we believe in fostering a community that transcends division and unites all people in the spirit of love, justice, and faith. As we approach the upcoming 2024 election season, our church remains a space for reflection, growth, and action—not through partisanship, but through prayer, dialogue, and a commitment to turning to God.

Our faith calls us to be active in the world, praying for peace, justice, and understanding. In times of political uncertainty, we turn to God for guidance. We invite our community to engage in thoughtful prayer, especially in this season when our nation faces many critical decisions. Throughout our history, Mission Hills United Church of Christ has stood as a beacon of faith-driven activism, welcoming individuals from all walks of life. We recognize the importance of diversity and the power of listening to one another, grounded in the belief that through God’s grace, we can build a world where everyone is heard, respected, and valued.

“Don’t get political,” they say, “just preach God’s word.”
“Don’t get political,” they say, “just sing your little songs.”
“Don’t get political,” they say, “take down those rainbow flags.”
But what are politics but the enactment of our values?
What are politics but actions that bring our vision to life,
the way lifting a sculpture out of a bath of water reveals its beauty?

Is our sacred call to universal, unconditional loving-kindness political?
Is our natural impulse to stand between harm and its victims political?
Is our bottomless longing for freedom—our own and everyone else’s—political?

Truth is the what, politics is the how.
Love is the mission, politics is the means.
Justice is the journey, politics is the road, and the wagon.
Without politics, truth, love, and justice are just dots on a map.

We get the society we deserve—and we deserve better, which means we have work to do.
Suffering in silence isn’t enough. Shaking your head isn’t enough.
Disgust that does not move you to act is self-indulgence, arrogance even.
What if feeling hopeless is a way of hiding from responsibility?
What if giving up is a luxury we cannot afford?

Is longing for less gun violence divisive?
Is naming and calling out racism, anti-Semitism, and all othering divisive?
Is the comfort of those inside the circle more important than the suffering of those cast out?
Whom shall we serve? Those already safe, or those still in danger?
Who among you would not leave the ninety-nine and go after the one lost sheep?

Is rescuing the lost sheep, and carrying her home on your shoulders political?
Are the tears of joy at your reunion political? Amen