Reflecting on the Assassination Attempt Last Weekend
Dear church,
Here are a few of the thoughts I shared on Sunday morning as we reflected on the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump (my thanks to Ben Marsh from North Carolina who originally discussed three thoughts here. The more I reflected on them the more I was challenged. I do not know Ben personally but am grateful for his words that helped launch these thoughts).
As we gather to worship this morning we do so perhaps with an uneasiness or anxiety of what transpired yesterday afternoon. What we do with this newfound uneasiness, anxiety, or even in some cases, panic, becomes a powerful testimony to our faith and our Savior.
How do we respond to such violence?
How do we respond to the blatant evil we witnessed?
How do we respond to the anxiety and uneasiness we have held toward the future?
As followers of Jesus, let me share three borrowed thoughts on our response and a challenge going forward for every follower of Jesus Christ.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to respond with a commitment to peace.
The people of God uniquely understand that human kingdoms rise and fall but the Kingdom of Heaven alone is eternal. Knowing this, we are called to be a unique people of peace, filled with trust in the Lord's plans. The words of Jesus ring true today…
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” ~ John 14:27 NLT
The fruit of violent language is violent behavior. Therefore, as followers of Jesus, let us be a people whose language is seasoned with peace and love – even in the midst of strong disagreement. This weekend should serve as a strong reminder to us that neither politics nor violence could ever save us from the brokenness of sin. Neither legislation nor violence could ever solve the condition of the heart. Neither politics nor violence can save us from what we are fearful of.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to respond with a renewed focus on the Kingdom of Heaven.
Make no mistake, our citizenship is in heaven. This means our partisan commitments (as Democrats or Republicans or Libertarians or...) must always take a backseat to our identification as followers of Jesus.
“But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.” ~ Philippians 3:20 NLT
We are to be reminded that Jesus had no political party and has no rivals for power in his kingdom! As passionate as we can get about issues and topics of the day, we are citizens of an eternal kingdom that will stand the test of time long after our lives have come and gone. He alone is seated on the throne and to Him alone will we swear allegiance for all eternity.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to respond with a recommitment to the gospel.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ alone is our Hope. It gives us meaning and purpose for this life and hope in the next life. We are foolish to think that any policy, politician, or political party could satisfy eternal needs. In Christ alone is our hope and sure salvation. He alone gives us His Holy Spirit by which we live day to day. He alone has defeated death. He alone is our peace. Let us speak the name of Jesus before the name of anyone else and lift up all our cares and concerns in these days to Jesus.
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” ~ John 3:16-17
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to respond with wholehearted worship.
In the midst of the aftermath of such a jarring event the uneasiness, anxiety, and worry about the future can cause us a bit of apprehension or hesitation when gathering to worship and sing. It’s interesting that in the book of Psalms, King David has to command himself quite often to worship. He has to remind his heart and his soul to worship the Lord. Psalm 103 is a fitting example of this...
“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.” ~ Psalm 103:1 NIV
Why was it so important for King David to remind himself to worship? King David commanded his soul to worship and sing praises because sometimes we’re not going to feel like worshipping and singing praise. There will be times, even this weekend, when you just won’t feel like worshipping God. Yet, if we only worshipped when we felt like it, then we would be seasonal worshippers, worshipping only when we feel like it.
The truth of the matter is worship was never about our feelings. Worship was never about our circumstances. Worship was never about what was happening around us. Worshiping was and has always been about who God is.
So today we worship.
Today we sing praise.
Today we pray.
Not because of the condition of our hearts.
Not because of our feelings.
Because of who He is.
Each of us is made in the image of God, and because we are made in the image of a holy God, we worship. Our heart’s position is a reflection of what we see, what we hear, what we watch, what we listen to, and what we think about. So as your pastor, let me challenge you to worship before consuming any media this week. Let us spend time in uninterrupted worship before going to social media or a news outlet. When events happen like this weekend in Western Pennsylvania, oftentimes there is a rush to consume increased amounts of media. And for good reason! We want to be informed. We want to get as much information as possible. We want to know what’s going on.
Yet if we are not careful we will allow our thoughts to be misguided and our hearts to be misaligned by these media sources.
Set the compass for your heart first. Prioritize worship this week. Spend some uninterrupted time in worship, prayer, song, reading and meditating on Scripture, before consuming media that is designed to not inform you, but to shape your heart. Pledge allegiance this week to the Lamb before you set your heart on temporary things.
May God help us…
Blessings,
Pastor Daniel
