This past weekend, along with most of the country, we watched as an assassination attempt took place on former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. No doubt you, like me, had many emotions pass through you in the moments and days that have followed.
As Christians who live in America, how should we respond when we see this kind of political violence and deep division in our country? By listening to what Jesus has told us and by following what Jesus has taught us.
First, pray. Jesus said “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). If we truly do love God this way, then our first response to tragedy of any kind is to turn to the One we love fully, believing that God can work in the hearts and minds of people. God can draw us into unity, God can heal the brokenness from sin that has brought us to a moment like this. So we pray, we talk to God, and we plead with Him to bring peace, to protect us, and to work in the hearts of our country’s leaders–to help unite us and not divide us.
Second, love people. The second thing Jesus said in this passage was “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). The expression of Christ’s love for people is the Church–those who follow Jesus–and He has sent us to demonstrate the love of Jesus to the world. These moments are opportunities for us to lead in love–not just ask others to act in love–but to pursue it ourselves. We should display how Jesus has and is changing us. We should display the unity that emerges in a people group bound together by a Savior who gave the ultimate sacrifice, and we should love people the way He loves people.
God can heal the divisiveness among us, and His method is to work through the Church. Let’s respond by loving Him and trusting Him more, and seeking to love the people around us the way He does.
Love you,
John King
Lead Pastor