I once came across the meme shown in the header image. "America wants Hillary to run!" "Yeah... Out in front of a car!" I won't pretend I've never made such jokes. Indeed, I've said a lot worse. But today I want to both repent of this attitude, and encourage the brethren to do likewise.
Politics is a nasty game, and some politicians are very bad people. Hillary Clinton is undeniably one of them. But do you know what? In spite of all her sin, Jesus died for Hillary Clinton. And for Bill Clinton. And for Barack Obama, for Nancy Pelosi, for Maxine Waters, for Bernie Sanders, for Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, for Joe Biden, my American friends, there are a grand total of zero Democrats, be they in office or not, for whom Jesus did not die. Every single one of them, should they repent, would be saved in a heartbeat, and this is exactly what Jesus wants to happen.
Throughout history, there have been some very evil rulers. Many of them worse even than the Democrats. Nebuchadnezzar, for example. Had she taken office, I don't see Hillary Clinton building a golden idol and burning anyone who refuses to worship it. But Nebuchadnezzar did exactly that, and when Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow, he threw them in the furnace. But they survived, and when they walked out, Nebuchadnezzar made it illegal to speak against God. It seems likely, though we certainly can't be dogmatic about it, that Nebuchadnezzar may have even repented and been saved. At the very least, he was called God's servant (Jeremiah 25:9; 27:6; 43:10). Can God not likewise save a Democrat?
And if Nebuchadnezzar's example was not great enough, consider Paul. Though not a politician, he was a great persecutor of the Church. He killed Christians, and did so with the authority of the government. And yet, he, too, was saved. And upon his salvation, he wrote "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life." (1 Timothy 1:15-16). If God can save the chief of sinners, and do so as a pattern for future believers, can God not save the chief of today's sinners, after the pattern of Paul? And just one chapter later, does Paul not also say that we absolutely should pray for these people to be saved, because this pleases God, as He wants everyone to be saved?
My brethren, God wants Hillary to run... straight into His arms. To the cross! To the Kingdom! We don't need to show our vindictive, carnal, sinful selves by making these frankly pathetic jokes. We need to show the new creation by encouraging those who need Jesus to also become new creations in Him. May the Church echo this prayer: Dear Lord, save the Democrats, save the Republicans, save all who do not yet know you! May every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. Amen.