Daniel 1:1–21; John 1:1–12; Deuteronomy 30:14–20
On the eve of a historic election week, Pastor Juliet Lyons asks a deeper question than Republican or Democrat: whose side are you really on? There have only ever been two sides, light and darkness, God or the world. Through the life of Daniel, she shows how to live in the world, not of it, but fully called to it, with an undivided allegiance to God that shapes every yes and every no.
Key takeaways
- A life mission statement makes every decision intentional, and when you define your yes, your no defines itself.
- Elan's diversity runs deeper than skin; God created unity, not uniformity, so hard conversations must be had with the fruit of the Spirit and the knowledge that we are on the same team.
- Truth cannot come from inside fallen people; like gravity needs something outside the apple, truth must come from God and His Word, so Elan is Bible immersed.
- There are only two sides, light and darkness, and they existed long before any political party; you cannot say yes to God and keep a little of the world on the side.
- Daniel shows how to live in the world, not of it, but called to it: faithful and trustworthy in a foreign culture, with a yes to God that made his no automatic.
Message notes
Living with a life mission statement
Pastor Juliet Lyons opens by welcoming the church into an important week and introducing her title, "What side are you on?" A leadership conference years ago prompted her to write a life mission statement: to help people encounter and understand the triune God and experience a little piece of heaven on earth. She revisits it yearly, fasts and recalibrates on the first of each month, and spends a few minutes on it every morning. It has not changed through many seasons because it is about who she wants to be, not what she wants to do, and it flexes to the changing seasons of her children, friendships, and workplace.
Your yes defines your no
Without intentionality, life lives you instead of you living it. When you define your yes, your no defines itself: yes to eight hours of sleep means no to Netflix, and yes to Max meant no to everyone else. When good things compete for the same hour, the life mission sets the priority. Heading into election week, our choices are among the most important things we have.
Unity, not uniformity
Elan's diversity, the kaleidoscope of heaven, runs deeper than skin into opinions and politics. God created unity but not uniformity, so the church must navigate tough conversations with the fruit of the Spirit, remembering that we are on the same team.
Truth comes from outside us
In a room of two hundred people each claiming their own truth, she offers a picture: an apple cannot stop itself from falling; something outside it must catch it. Fallen people will never find truth inside themselves, on social media, or in the news; the infallible God must infuse His truth into us through His Word. That is why Elan is a Bible immersed church and why she believes Scripture over her own emotions, opinions, and culture.
Only two options
Long before any political party, there were only two options: yes to God or yes to the world. You cannot love God wholeheartedly while keeping a little of the enemy on the side, nor dabble in spirituality on Sundays while living fully in the world. Reading John 1:1–12, she highlights that the light shines in the darkness and those who receive Him become children of God. Elan's verse for the year, Matthew 6:33, calls the church to seek first the kingdom, and that does not start in election week. She offers three litmus questions: how deep in the world am I living, how much of the world is in my heart, and how called to the world am I actually living? Recalling her wedding vows, she observes that promises only matter when you have to make good on them, and loving God carries even more weight.
Daniel: in the world, not of it, called to it
Daniel is her prime example. A noble teenager of David's line taken captive to Babylon, he learned the language and literature of a culture contrary to his own, rose through three years of training to one-on-one audience with the king, and was placed over the sorcerers and enchanters. Reading Daniel 1, she notes that he resolved not to defile himself with the royal food, God gave the official favor, and after ten days of vegetables and water the four young men looked healthier than the rest. The king found them ten times better than all the magicians, and Daniel served under four kings. His yes was to pleasing God regardless of his situation, so his no was automatic, and his faithfulness and trustworthiness raised him to the top. He even stayed in captivity when others returned, because he knew what he was called to. Like John, Daniel received great end-times revelations and was described as greatly loved; it takes guts to love God hard.
Choose life
From Deuteronomy 30 she reads that God sets before us life and death, blessing and curse, and warns against a divided heart, calling us to choose life by loving the Lord and holding fast to Him. Jesus says no one can serve two masters. What happens this week matters to God and we cannot disengage, but the real battle is not Harris or Trump; it is the Lord and everyone on the other side. Pastor Juliet closes by committing Elan Church to three things: living in excellence in language, lifestyle, workplaces, and attitudes toward people different from us; giving God exclusive rights to our hearts and allegiance; and being fully engaged on mission to the world, no matter how lost or broken it feels.
