Greetings to you on this election day! I hope that, by now, you’ve either already voted or made a plan to do so. It’s an important part of participating in our democracy. Every single one of us has a say-so in how our country, and state, and municipalities are governed. It’s quite remarkable, if you think about it.

To be honest, it has not always felt to me like my voice has mattered, and there are times when I have felt like I was voting for a lesser of evils. But it doesn’t negate the fact: every single one of us gets to cast a vote.

But what does voting have to do with being a Christian? Or a Lutheran, for that matter? Well, more than we might at first realize.

If you want to read a comprehensive exposition on this, I commend to you the ELCA’s 2025 social statement, Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-being of All, or the 2020 social message, Government and Civic Engagement in the United States: Discipleship in a Democracy. These documents exceed an easily summarizable length, but suffice it to say that we Lutherans believe that we have a responsibility both to God and to one another to do our best to bring about the common good. Shalom is the word these documents use to describe God’s intention for God’s creation: “Shalom describes God’s intention in creation for an abundance of peace, well-being, goodness, truth, beauty, justice, freedom, joy, wholesomeness, and love, all woven together.” This notion of the common good guides our participation in civic life.

Notice that the impetus for participation in civic life extends beyond our own individual interests, and this broader vision might be one way our faith challenges us. When I vote, I’m not necessarily voting for what’s best for me; I’m remembering God’s intention for all of creation. As a Christian and as a Lutheran, I step into the voting booth with the Lord’s Prayer on my lips: “Thy kingdom come…on earth as it is in heaven.” I ask myself: what would it be like for God’s kingdom to come here and now? And what even is God’s kingdom?

Well, God’s kingdom is shalom, and one way we participate in that kingdom is by engaging in civic life, which includes voting.

Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your faith. Thank you for your voice.

It matters, and you matter.