On the eve of the caucuses politics is inescapable in Iowa, and church was no exception Sunday morning.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz joined wife his Heidi, daughters Caroline and Catherine and more than 2,000 Iowans gathered for services in West Des Moines at Lutheran Church of Hope.
He listened intently, pink-hairbow-clad daughter Catherine on his lap, as Pastor Mike Housholder spoke.
The upcoming caucuses were front and center during Housholder’s sermon, which focused on loving thy neighbor, both friends and enemies.
“Christians are not called to be doormats, where we can get trampled on, say, ‘oh, we’re Christians, we’re supposed to love so I guess love means being weak.’ There’s nothing weak about love, it’s the strongest force in the universe,” Housholder said. “And God calls us to bring that love, sometimes tough love, to the world around us. Sometimes that means courageously standing up and saying this is unjust, this is wrong.”
As the Cruz campaign and associated super PACs run attack ads on rival Sen. Marco Rubio across the state, the pastor used an attack ad metaphor, echoing Cruz’s frequent call to debate on policy, not personal jab.
“Even when we fight out the issues, we don’t lose the new covenant and fall into the trap of attacking. Not the other person’s stand or the other person’s belief or the other person’s worldview. Go ahead and debate those — go ahead and have those conversations,” Housholder said as he stood under a screen with a photo of all of the 2016 presidential candidates.
He said attack ads Iowans have seen over the course of the race “kind of insult our intelligence.”
The head of Cruz’s 99 Pastors group, Pastor Joseph Brown, sent an email to over 150 pastors across Iowa on Saturday encouraging them to “prepare to challenge and equip your people for the Iowa Caucus taking place on Monday.”
And Sunday, Housholder took Brown’s advice, strongly encouraging his congregation to caucus Monday evening and to bring their faith to the precinct.
“We have an incredible privilege to go to the caucuses tomorrow and help to set a course for this election. It’s important that we embrace that responsibility,” he said.
It’s a message that nearly 10,000 Iowans will hear at the Hope Lutheran congregation alone over the course of the weekend.
Cruz shook hands and posed for photos with churchgoers following the service, many of whom said they were praying for him.
Asked by a reporter whether he prayed for victory, Cruz said, “I prayed that God’s will be done.”
Cruz also said he prayed for rivals Donald Trump or Marco Rubio.
“You know what, I actually did. It was one of the things that the pastor asked, is pray for any that are your opponents,” he said. “And indeed, I’m lifting up in prayers all the candidates who are running that God’s blessing and peace and love be upon them.”
Meanwhile in Council Bluffs, Donald Trump attended services at First Christian Church. The service was less political, with no mention of caucusing, and a sermon focusing on finding the way back to God and asking God for help.