In his book, History of the Plymouth Settlement, William Bradford wrote about the departure of the Pilgrims from Leyden, Holland. Of course, they would be called “the Pilgrims” only many years later.

“So they left that good and pleasant city, which had been their resting place for nearly twelve years, but they knew they were pilgrims, and lifted up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits.”

One commentator, Paul J. Achtemeier, has written concerning the idea of being a pilgrim that

“It refers less to the notion of Christians disdaining the temporal because of their longing for their eternal, heavenly home, with its implications of withdrawal from secular society, than to the notion that despite such treatment, they must nevertheless continue to practice their faith in the midst of those who abuse them.”

This understanding of being a pilgrim, then, refers to the spiritual battle and conflict we find ourselves in. We are not at home, not simply because we will go to heaven one day, but because while we are given time on earth, we will always experience a conflict with and a separation from the world around us. This perspective is often easy for us to lose here in our homeland. We can often feel too much at home in the United States of America.

The solution, though, is not to escape but to consider the calling God has given us while we are here on earth.

And was this not the vision of the Pilgrims? They left Holland in part because they realized the influence their culture was having on them, much of which was not positive. But they didn’t run away merely to escape; rather, they came to America to build something.

Having passed through Thanksgiving, we come now to the busy season of Advent and Christmas. It can be overwhelming, but let us not lose our focus on the proper celebration of this holiday. Culturally and politically, we have much for which we should continue to give thanks, but we also know that even after some excellent victories on November 5, we still face some serious concerns.

I will divide my remarks to focus on three areas: local, state, and federal.

Local Issues

America is still the greatest country in terms of opportunity, freedom, beauty, and service to the Lord. Even for us who groan living in ILL-inois, we still give thanks.

There are still churches that faithfully preach the gospel. We have the freedom to worship the Lord according to His word and train our children in the fear of the Lord.

However, most suburbs of Chicago and communities across Illinois are still dominated by those with a woke, leftist, or perverse agenda when it comes to family and sexuality. All government schools still begin with the premise that God has nothing to do with education. Most local libraries are also overseen by those who have no fear of the Lord, reflected by displays and book choices that make you want to vomit.

While we have just passed through a significant election season, we must not forget the two upcoming local elections in Illinois – the Consolidated Primary on February 25, 2025, and the Consolidated Election on April 1, 2025.

Let us be aware and be in prayer concerning these important contests.

State Issues

Unfortunately, at the state level, Illinois is dominated by Governor JB Pritzker and the Democratic Party. In the Illinois Senate, the Democrats will have 40 seats to the 19 held by Republicans. In the Illinois House, Democrats will control 78 seats compared to just 50 for the Republicans.

We know that the Democrats will continue to promote an agenda of death, more taxes, and perversion. However, we must not call it quits. All the more, we must be in prayer and be active and as engaged as we can be. Illinois has become the abortion capital of the Midwest, and this is expected to only increase with more funding for the killing of the unborn.

Another serious matter for our state is an unfunded pension liability estimated now at $206.5 billion. This puts Illinois at second-worst in the nation for debt to personal income, behind only Connecticut.

We do give thanks that Illinois continues to be one of the best states for homeschooling. We must remain vigilant, certainly, but praise the Lord that homeschooling continues to flourish in our state. Many Christian schools have also experienced remarkable growth post-pandemic, thanks in part to the perverse policies pushed by Pritzker in state-controlled schools.

Let us pray that this trend will continue and that many will escape government-controlled education in Illinois. We also give thanks that Pritzker’s Assault Weapons Ban has been challenged by a federal court. We will know more about the outcome of this case very soon.

Federal Issues

Every Christian I know who voted for President Donald Trump did so not because of his personal holiness and moral character but rather because he represented a break from extremely detrimental policies affecting our economy, military, and other nations.

Many churches gathered for prayer in the 40 days before the election. We are just about to reach 40 days before the inauguration on January 20, 2025. As much as we were in prayer for the election, now we must pray for the new administration being assembled. Some of President Trump’s nominations are excellent; with others, I am troubled, even disgusted.

One of the areas of serious concern now is that the Republican party has shifted to embracing homosexual practice and faux same-sex marriage. Compromises have also been made on the issue of life, including concerning IVF.

Now, I do believe that even before some of these changes, there was duplicity in the Republican party. The platform might have been better, but the reality was tainted. But now we are faced with a new Republican party that cannot consistently defend God’s definition of life and the family.

It is staggering to consider the economic matters President Trump and his administration will face in the next four years. Our national debt is pushing $37,000,000,000,000 (that is a trillion). This does not include unfunded promises to Medicare ($66 trillion), Social Security ($50 trillion), pension and retirement benefits ($14 trillion), and other liabilities ($2 trillion).

While President Trump speaks very confidently of getting our economy in order, there are no easy solutions to our debt problem. Growing our economy will no doubt be very important. Expanding the production of energy and increasing manufacturing are good things, but they are not magic erasers when it comes to these systemic problems at the federal level. We face a very serious problem. May the Lord have mercy on us before even greater judgment falls!

Fellow pilgrims, continue in prayer and godly action!

You can do more than pray after you have prayed,
but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.
Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul,
a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to Satan.
~John Bunyan~