Hello Gloria Dei,
This past Wednesday morning our Men’s Bible Study group finished up our study on the book of Ephesians. We read and discussed chapter six. As the apostle Paul finishes his letter to the people within the church at Ephesus, he says this:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, the authorities, and the cosmic powers of this present darkness; against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places.” – Ephesians 6:10-12
Yes, the Bible is clear. The darkness of the evil one is present in this world. One of the men at our study on Wednesday said something like this: “Even though we in the United States have not faced the bombings or drone strikes that are occurring in Ukraine, there still is plenty of evil that shows up in many different forms, even in our country.”
And then, of course, we all got news of the evil which occurred in the assassination of Charlie Kirk later that day. This is the second act of political violence in recent months, with Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark being hunted down in their homes.
I, like many of you, watched the news late into Wednesday night. Filled with grief and confusion, I was appreciative of the outpouring of responses and a call to end the epidemic of violence we are experiencing in our country. I include one such response from President George W. Bush:
“Today, a young man was murdered in cold blood expressing his political views. It happened on a college campus, where the open exchange of opposing ideas should be sacrosanct. Violence and vitriol must be purged from the public square. Members of other political parties are not our enemies; they are our fellow citizens. May God bless Charlie Kirk and his family, and may God guide America toward civility.”
Is it possible to return to a time when we could be united, even while holding different views and opinions? We must say a resounding YES to that question and learn to peacefully dialogue and share ideas with one another, without demonizing those with different views than our own.
As Christ-followers, the apostle Paul goes on in Ephesians six and encourages us to put on “The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation.” In Jesus Christ, we know the truth centered in the love of God and love of neighbor
Jesus says directly to you and me in Matthew chapter 5: “You are the salt of the earth, and you are the light of the world.” People of God at Gloria Dei, in the midst of “this present darkness”, you and I are the voice, hands, feet, and presence of Christ in the world. Let us continue to shine light within our own families and within our own spheres of influence.
Please join me in keeping the family of Charlie Kirk, his wife Erika and their two young children in prayer. We grieve for them and with them, as we do with all victims of violence. And please keep our nation in your prayers that we may learn to live united, even when we have differences of opinion. As people who know the God of life, love, peace, and understanding, we are equipped to lead the way.
For worship this weekend please read Luke 15:1-10 and Exodus 32:7-14.
See you in worship,
Pastor Tim
