Posted on by graceutomo12

CCAN Conference: The Wisdom of Abigail

Good afternoon, Blogging Family! Last weekend, I was grateful to be one of the guest speakers at a women’s conference in Pacheco, CA, co-hosted by Foothill Baptist Church and Christ Church of All Nations (Ivan’s parents’ church). It was such a privilege to collaborate with the other speakers and meet women from other churches and backgrounds. It was also a growing experience for me, since the two areas that I am most comfortable with are counseling and prayer ministry (both one-on-one settings). Although I do love to teach music and writing and we have been blessed to share our accident story quite a bit in larger contexts, this was the first time that I prepared a message and spoke on a topic that was not related to our accident.

God was very faithful, and throughout the process I discovered that a lot of the skills I’ve developed in both teaching writing and preparing for counseling sessions were similar to what I needed to prepare a conference session. The similarities were studying what the biblical text said, consulting other passages from Scripture that shed more light on it, looking for relevant commentaries, and prayerfully discerning my own thoughts about the passage. Perhaps most important was praying that the Lord would use the passage to minister to (and convict!) my own heart during the preparation process, and also praying for the hearts of everyone who would attend. My conclusion after going through this process (although I admit that I am still very new to it), is that there is not a huge difference between preparing for a conference talk and counseling, except that I would say delivering a conference talk currently feels more disorienting to me.

In counseling, I can dialogue with the other person and try my best to sense by their tone of voice, facial expressions and verbal responses how they might be processing what I am sharing, or if they would benefit from a different approach. While this does not necessarily guarantee that every session goes well, and it is only God who does the transformation in a person’s heart, it does frequently provide a real time gauge to help me discern if the direction I am going is actually beneficial or if I need to change courses.

In contrast, delivering a conference talk does not allow this kind of real-time feedback and requires much more faith that God is the One who will work through (and in spite of) me, and that ultimately He has promised His Word never returns void, no matter how little I may know about each person in the room or how imperfectly I may communicate.

This past Saturday, I was grateful to speak on the life of Abigail. Meditating on how she wisely responded to a very complex situation (a foolish and ungodly husband and a future king who was sinfully angry) convicted me about 1) how much I take my own healthy marriage for granted and 2) how much I struggle to live out her example of honoring Nabal’s and David’s God-given positions. Far too often, I use other people’s sin as an excuse to justify my own. In Abigail’s case, God rewarded her willingness to submit to the position rather than fixating on the person who was not living up to his position. Her humility brought conviction to David’s heart, saved the lives of her male servants, and, after her husband’s death, gained her what we can guess was likely a better life as David’s wife.

Abigail could have sought to preserve her own life by running away when her servants brought her the news of David’s impending wrath, and perhaps she might have succeeded. However, by doing this she would have become implicit in the murder of Nabal’s servants, at least some of whom were not as wicked as Nabal himself (vv.14-17). By seeking to dissuade David from his murderous design, Abigail identified herself with Nabal’s guilt in order to intercede for him. This put her in danger since she did not know how David would respond. As Nabal’s wife, she was also aware that he did not deserve this intervention and she would not receive any personal benefit, except the benefit of honoring the Lord and the husband He had sovereignly allowed into her life, and potentially saving some innocent lives if she succeeded. It’s also worth noting that God’s justice in punishing Nabal was much more accurate than David’s sinful anger would have been. By eliminating Nabal through an adverse health event (perhaps a heart attack or stroke), God only punished the person who needed punishing. He also simultaneously freed Abigail and Nabal’s servants from their oppressive situation. David, however, was planning to wipe out “every male” belonging to Nabal, which would have included at least some innocent servants.

I’d like to close with this New Testament admonition and encouragement. It’s how I ended my conference talk Saturday I think it encapsulates the story of Abigail, Nabal, and David – and God’s intervention in all their lives so perfectly, I also hope it can encourage you all with whatever you may be facing this week!

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Gal. 6:7-10

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Working Witness

Hello Blogging Family! Last Saturday Grace and I had the opportunity to attend Valley Christian School’s Warrior Celebration, where we honored our previous president’s 40 years of service to the school and looked ahead to the future. It’s hard to believe this is my ninth year working at VCS, and I’m thankful for how God has used this school to provide for me and Grace and allow us to live in the Bay Area.

My role at the school has changed over the years, and one of the more recent developments is overseeing the student Worship Team, which we call Warrior Worship (our school mascot is the Warriors). We have chapel once a week on Wednesdays, which normally start with a time of musical worship and then goes into a message. A team of high school students leads the music portion, and I’ve really appreciated getting to work with them as their teacher.

For the worship team class, our class periods involve rehearsing music, but my favorite part are the portions when we consider what it means to live with God and for God — in short, discipleship. We have discussions such as:

Q: “Why do we worship?”

A: “Because God is worthy of our worship.” (1 Chron 16:25; Ps 145:3)

Q: “Why is God worthy of our worship?”

A: “Because of who He is and what He has done.” (Rev 4:11; Ps 103:1-5)

Many of students who attend Valley are not from Christian backgrounds, so I’m proud of the students who serve on worship team, and all the other students who have chosen to actively represent Christ to their peers. I’m reminded each day too that all of my actions as a teacher directly or indirectly constitute a witness for Jesus. What kind of a witness am I? Am I being faithful to honor Him through my words and actions?

Whether we work in a secular or Christian context, may we always remember that God’s eternal purposes also include our professional lives; even if you are not working right now, you are still an ambassador for Christ to every person you interact with today. May God be glorified through us wherever we are.

Posted on by ivanutomo · 1 Comment

Spring into Music & Poetry

Hello Blogging Family! Spring is upon us, and I’ve also been enjoying my spring break from Valley Christian. This week, Grace and I got to share about violin and piano to our local Classical Conversations homeschool community at Hillside Church. This was our second visit; we were very blessed to visit CC last year too. I was never homeschooled, but Grace was, from kindergarten all the way until she graduated high school!

This year, our topic was “How to listen to music.” Grace and I talked about how composers structure their pieces, how they create colors and moods using different scales, and how you can enhance your enjoyment of classical music by creating a narrative while listening. The kids were very attentive and asked great questions. Grace played Mendelssohn’s “Auf Flügeln des Gesanges (On Wings of Song),” and I played Bach’s Invention No. 4 in D minor and Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in G# minor, Op. 32 No. 12.

In addition to visiting the CC community, Grace also recently received an invitation from San Jose Public Library (SJPL) to host a poetry workshop at the main branch downtown! The librarian had seen Grace in the SJPL database from a fiction workshop Grace taught last year, and thought she would be a good fit for their “Spring into Poetry” initiative. So Grace got to work preparing a presentation suitable for kids and adults, and this past Monday we made our way to the MLK Jr. Library for the workshop (my role was moral support).

We’re so thankful for the chance to connect with the attendees over poetry, enjoying the God-given gift of creativity expressed through language. Fun fact: one poet Grace and I both love is W. S. Merwin – if you’ve never read him before, check him out!

So, so far it’s been a very arts-filled week! It’s amazing how much beauty and meaning can be captured and expressed through the arts; all this is ultimately a reflection of God’s beauty, since He is the one who created all things (including us, in His image!). As the Psalmist said:

The heavens declare the glory of God,
    and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Psalm 19:1

May we see glimpses of God’s beauty and goodness in the world around us today, even by reading a good poem or listening to a piece of music!

Posted on by graceutomo12 · 6 Comments

A Helping Hand

Hello Blogging Family! Thank you all so much for your prayers and concern! I’m finally back to normal typing, and wanted to share a personal “thank you” as well as my own thoughts on the past couple of weeks.

Although we continue to be extremely grateful for just how faithful and powerful the Lord has been to restore so much of my life, this incident has reminded me that I’ve started to take certain parts of recovery for granted. On the bright side, it’s also been a sweet demonstration of all the love and support we continue to receive from our online community whenever there is a health-related update! ❤

As I consider the progress that I may have begun to take for granted – or push a little too far – working in the kitchen is one of the first things that comes to mind. Every time I’ve told my version of this latest incident and started with, “Well, I was opening a can one-handed…” I’m struck by how unwise this sounds. Although I’ve been opening cans for several years now, I’m realizing that it’s God’s mercy and protection that I made it this long without an accident.

While Ivan does most of the truly dangerous kitchen work at our house, I admit that my limitations with my left hand tempt me to feel insecure when I consider what other wives do for their husbands. This often prompts me to test my limits to see if I could be doing more. Hence my one-handed can-opening career. But the past couple of weeks have reminded us that when my experiments go south, I need significantly more help from him than if I focused on doing what we know I can do safely and well.

On the subject of help. the past couple of weeks have been a sweet reminder of how much Ivan is willing to help and how much my guilt for asking him is self-imposed. On the drive home from the hospital he began peppering me with questions about everything I would need help with now that I was down my right hand – including getting dressed. While I nixed that particular suggestion, the heart behind it was truly precious, and continued to remind me of how Ivan has always been willing to do whatever needs to be done to care for me.

And I did find myself humbled the following morning when we embarked on our two weeks of wound care. Although I knew I would need some help given that I had relatively incapacitated my dominant hand, after everything I’ve been through I pride myself on being rather tough and low maintenance. I laid everything out and read all the instructions, only to be hit by a wave of nausea when we removed the bandage. Maybe it’s been too many years since our last significant incident, or maybe there was something different about this cut (Ivan spared the gory details in his post), but I found myself unable to do anything except look away and pray while he did all the wound care. So this too was a poignant reminder, not just of Ivan’s willingness to help, but also of the Lord’s faithfulness and enabling power in all the trials we’ve been through in the past. I am more aware than ever that the grit I used to think was part of my personality is really an enabling grace God can give and remove as He sees fit. I’m very grateful for when He does choose to give it. When He does not, this causes me to depend on Him more closely and also be more grateful for the help I receive from others.

I’d like to close with Psalm 46, which my discipleship group recently memorized. The application question the week before my can-opener incident was “How are you going to apply this psalm to daily life?” At the time I’d talked about using it as a framework to pray for others and also praise God’s sovereignty over all our lives. I couldn’t imagine this application would get VERY real just a week later. In the ER, I was desperately looking for something to which I could fix my attention when it was time to get the stitches put in. Reciting the psalm in my mind and rehearsing the Lord’s presence and power transformed what would have been an otherwise extremely disconcerting few minutes for me. Hopefully this can also be an encouragement to all of you who have a practice of memorizing Scripture, or are considering starting this journey!

God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
 Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
 though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
 “Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Posted on by ivanutomo

24 Days of Hope: Mary’s Song of Praise

This painting of Mary visiting Elizabeth is called “The Visitation,” and is by the Renaissance master Raphael.

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to lead our prayer team’s pre-service prayer and devotion, and the Bible passage that came to mind was Mary’s prayer recorded in Luke 1:46-55, commonly known as the Magnificat (which is the first word of the Latin translation of this prayer). Although I had read this passage before, it struck me anew how beautiful and powerful this prayer is, and how brightly it shines the light of the good news of Christmas.

After receiving news from the angel Gabriel that she would bear the Son of God, Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, who was herself pregnant with John the Baptist. When Elizabeth said to her, “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord,” Mary responded by praising and worshiping God:

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

Luke 1:46-49

What incredible faith and humility her prayer shows! Mary gave all the glory to God, recognizing His power and holiness, and her need for and dependence on Him. Mary understood that God sent His Son to be the Savior of the world, indeed, her savior and ours. She lived out of a knowledge of her proper standing before the Lord: that is, she was his servant (the Greek word can also be translated “bondservant”). She saw rightly that the source of all true blessing is God Himself, not anything generated from herself, her abilities, or her circumstances.

Do I live this way? Do I see the extent of my need for God? Do I profess to rely on Him, but operate out of self-reliance and pride? Do I, like Mary, and Paul, James, and others heroes of the faith, refer to myself as a servant of the Lord, or instead do I attempt to live as if I am master of my own fate?

The beauty of the Christmas message is that the righteous, almighty, gracious God of the universe has demonstrated His love for us, His creation, by sending His Son Jesus Christ to bring light and life into our broken world, into our broken lives. He brings redemption and restoration. Mary understood this, and rejoiced; may we join her in wholeheartedly worshiping our Lord.

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24 Days of Hope: In Memoriam

When I began writing this post yesterday, I did not know that Jubilant Sykes was no longer with us, but was even then in the presence of our loving Heavenly Father. I won’t get into the specifics of his passing, as they are tragic and disturbing, but you can read about them here. Mr. Sykes was acclaimed in the world of secular classical music as a gifted opera singer, but many in the Christian community (including myself) knew and loved him for the way he used his extraordinary voice to worship our Lord.

This is the post I’d written yesterday, which I’ve decided to still share with you as a way to acknowledge his passing and praise God for the way he used Mr. Sykes while he was with us on earth. I hope you will also join with me in praying for his family during this heartbreaking time.

***

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, Ivan and I are listening Christmas songs and carols every morning this season. “Mary Did You Know” is a song most of us probably know and love, but I must say this is my absolute favorite rendition. And coming from a musical background plus being a pastor’s kid, I’ve heard it sung more than a few times. 😉

I first heard Jubilant Sykes sing “Mary, Did You Know?” when I was a small child while my dad was in seminary. Due to my age, the import of the words was mostly lost on me, but I was still deeply moved by the power and conviction with which Mr. Sykes sang. As I grew older, I began to understand the song a bit more (he sang it every year). As an adult, I find the words profoundly meaningful, and I also understand much better how Mr. Sykes is able to convey them in such a worshipful way. I hope this version blesses you as much as it does me.

See you tomorrow!

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Global Reflections after Reformation Sunday

This is a statue from Melk Abbey in Austria.

Hello, Blogging Family! I hope you had a blessed Reformation Sunday yesterday. This holiday has impacted me differently after our trip to Central Europe this summer. I’ve always been a voracious student of history, art, and music, and was excited to visit some of the countries that were crucial to classical music, the World Wars, and church history. I realized that Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, and Czechia are either Catholic or secular today, but I also knew that some of them had either been instrumental in the original spread of Christianity across Europe or the Protestant Reformation. They are still home to some of Europe’s oldest and most beautiful cathedrals. But I wasn’t prepared for the spiritual landscape we encountered during our trip.

We were blessed to tour cathedrals in each country, as well as Melk Abbey in Austria. Melk is a Benedictine monastery that was founded in 1089 and is famous for its ancient library as well as the dignitaries that have visited (including Mozart, Napoleon, and Empress Maria Theresa). The art and architecture in all these locations exceeded my expectations, and at Melk I especially loved seeing some medieval manuscripts I’d studied in facsimile during grad school at SCAD! 

But I was also deeply saddened as I pondered the Jesus portrayed by this art, and imagined how different my life would be if this were the only Jesus I knew. Everywhere we went, the representations of Christ we saw were effeminate and dead. He was typically either nailed to a cross, or being tended by his mother or saints after his death. While it’s essential to spend time remembering how much Jesus suffered for our sins, our hope of eternal life comes from the truth that he is a risen, powerful Savior who conquered death and is alive and working today (1 Cor. 15:12-28).

This focus on death wasn’t just limited to Jesus. At each cathedral, we were greeted by a list of saints’ relics that were either available for regular viewing or on “special occasions.” These ranged from finger bones and scraps of clothing, to a martyr’s tooth and jawbone that had been encased in jewels. When I asked our guides what they thought about the churches and relics they were representing, their answers were insightful. Some responded, “This is the church I was baptized and married in!” although whether they still attended was less forthcoming. Others highlighted that relics do not fare well when subjected to DNA testing. 

But one theme was universal: whatever the guides’ personal feelings about their churches, everyone agreed that the Protestant reformation was an inconvenient blip that had been decisively addressed by the Counter-Reformation hundreds of years ago.

I’ve had several months to reflect on this emphasis on death and the impact it seems to have had on the countries we visited, as well as do more research to compare data with the spiritual climate we sensed. For example, the Austrian embassy reports 3.8% of the population to be Protestant/evangelical, but most missions agencies believe this number is closer to 0.5%. Few Austrians actually attend the Catholic churches into which they were baptized. In recent years, New Age practices have begun gaining popularity with those searching for some form of spirituality. 

I think there are many factors at work here, but one of them could be that we are highly influenced by the images we absorb as children. If we only see Jesus portrayed as dead and powerless, and are taught instead to seek the intercession of dead saints and professional clergy, to whom we also have limited access, what immediate or eternal hope does this offer? Deep down all of us know we will never be good enough to earn God’s favor, and how much confidence can we really put in humans who left this earth centuries before us?

As protestants in the United States, it’s easy to dismiss Reformation Sunday as the anniversary of a German monk nailing a theological treatise to the door of a church on the other side of the world. But visiting these cathedrals in Central Europe and witnessing the functional outworking of the Counter-Reformation has reminded me that Reformation Sunday represents so much more than just that. It represents returning to an understanding that we come to God through faith alone in a living, powerful, resurrected Savior, who made a way for us to speak directly with God in prayer without human intermediaries. It represents the freedom – indeed the responsibility – to read God’s Word for ourselves instead of relying on “professional Christians” like priests to tell us what God says about himself. And through these reformations of speaking to and hearing from God ourselves, Reformation Sunday represents a renewed understanding that God is not only immediately accessible, but he wants to hear from us and speak to us, each and every day.

I hope these reflections will remind you of privileges that, if you’re like me and grew up in a protestant church, we can often take for granted. I also hope that if countries like Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary haven’t been on your prayer radar until now, you will join me in praying that God will pave the way for his gospel to gain more and more traction in these countries. He may even have a role for you or me to play!

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Create and Renew

Last month marked the two year anniversary of Walking with Grace. It’s amazing to reflect on all that God has done in the past two years. We’ve had the privilege of meeting so many people, and sharing how God has worked in our lives. I’ve started playing violin again, and we released our second book, Hello, God, in May. We’re hoping to hold another recital in person this January, so stay tuned!

It’s also crazy that Ivan and I are approaching 10 years of marriage this December. A decade seems like a long time, but given my accident and years of battling seizures, we both commented that we feel more like newlyweds! Much of this year has been focused on slowing down, taking stock of where we’re at in our relationship with the Lord and each other, how much we’ve learned, and more importantly how far we have yet to go.

That’s why I’ve been meditating on this verse from Psalm 51:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right spirit within me.”

Psalm 51:10

I think it’s an interesting contrast, especially for those of us who’ve been believers for a long time. Whether or not we’re repenting of grievous sin like David was, it’s interesting to consider why he pairs these requests.

He could have simply asked God to cleanse his heart, but asking God to “create” a clean heart sounds more like starting from scratch. However, in the next line, the word “renew” highlights that he’s not coming to God for the first time, or in our modern language “becoming a Christian.” 

Perhaps this paradox can be explained by the parallelisms that occur in Hebrew poetry, but I think it also captures the experience that many of us encounter when we run into a problem or sin that seems so overwhelming it can only be solved by God giving us a heart transplant. Yet that verse’s second half, “renew a steadfast spirit” acknowledges the reality that sometimes this happens even when we’ve been walking with him for a long time.

Ultimately, our hope for continued transformation does not lie in our own willpower. Although David was writing in the Old Testament, he pleads “take not your Holy Spirit from me” in verse 11. His experience of the Holy Spirit was different from ours. However, he knew that his ability to overcome sin was not due to his own strength, but God‘s enabling presence and power. This is even more true for us today after Jesus’ resurrection (John 14:16-24).

While I hope few of us hit lows as deep as David’s, I think the desire for a “new heart” is relatively common, and I love that God in his wisdom prompted David to pair the request to create a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit – two actions we might consider mutually exclusive – in the same verse.

For Ivan and me, we’re extremely grateful for all God has done in our lives, but we can also be tempted to feel like we should be further along relationally or spiritually. Meditating on David’s life and how he was called “the man after God’s own heart” although his trajectory was far from linear, and pondering how this single verse brings so much insight to the complexities of sanctification has been greatly encouraging. I hope it will encourage you as well! 

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Seeing God: Lessons from Matt Redman

One of my favorite names for God is El-roi, or  “the God who sees me.” (Gen. 16:13). This name for God, and the story of God dealing tenderly and patiently with Hagar, a woman who was a foreigner, slave, and surrogate mother, has become increasingly precious to me since my accident. God uses a variety of ways to show us that he sees us, including the compassion of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Last week was a sweet reminder of what it was like to feel seen in the early days of my recovery, and also an opportunity to watch that gift be passed on to the next generation. 

Last Monday, we took some worship team students from Valley Christian down to BIOLA to spend a couple of days observing chapels and audit a songwriting workshop taught by Matt Redman. This trip was especially meaningful because Ivan taught the three Redman boys piano when we lived in Southern California. Most parents keep their relationship with their children’s music teacher strictly professional, so we were really surprised the Redmans took an interest in how we were doing after my accident – especially since I’d never met them when it happened. Once I got a little stronger, they even let me come along to lessons to have a change of scene. This was incredibly thoughtful, since public spaces were still too crowded and noisy for my brain injury to tolerate, which meant I stayed in our apartment most of the time. 

I was incredibly nervous the first time Ivan brought me to a lesson. I was clutching two books and a journal, determined to vanish into a shadowy corner as soon as I got through the door. The Redman’s house was devoid of shadowy corners. Furthermore, I was not the piano teacher’s recovering tagalong, but someone they actually wanted to see. Matt’s wife, Beth, sat  and talked with me quietly in the living room for as long as I could tolerate, while also being sensitive to what Ivan must have mentioned about my struggles with fatigue and overstimulation. On the drive home, both Ivan and I were taken aback by this turn of events. However, after a few days of bewilderment I decided they were just being hospitable and I shouldn’t push my luck. The following Saturday I fortified myself with books and journal – and we repeated the entire ritual. 

After a few weeks I finally embraced that the Redmans weren’t viewing me as a charity project, or even trying to maintain some sort of public image. They were doing what they did because they loved God, and I loved God, and that commonality was far stronger than all our differences. Beth’s choice to give up a large chunk of her Saturday mornings gave me something to look forward to every week and provided a huge source of spiritual encouragement, as well as a rare opportunity to feel seen as a normal human being in spite of all the medical appointments that kept us scrambling Monday-Friday. 

Last week, as we were sitting in the songwriting clinic with our wide-eyed high schoolers and a handful of BIOLA undergrads, I was deeply encouraged to hear Matt share that his primary calling was not to help people sing better, but to help people see God better. God is a self-revealing God, he shared, and no matter what our vocation is, our calling is to live in such a way that people can see God’s character in what we do. For Matt, that means writing songs that reflect biblical truths and also give space for congregations to respond to those truths. I happen to be a writer, so my application is similar, although I don’t have to worry about whether my words work with a melody. But for all of us, I think the principle of helping people see God through our lives stems from one of my favorite verses, 1 John 4:19. “We love because he first loved us.” God saw us first and loved us first, and is always forever seeing and loving us through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus.  And if we are saved, it is our gratitude for this supernatural seeing and loving, and our reliance on his Spirit, that empowers us to deeply see and deeply love those around us.

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Mourning a Brother and Image-Bearer

Good morning, Blogging Family! I rarely write about politics, but today is a heavy day as we mourn the violent and untimely death of someone who represented free speech and the good news of Jesus Christ. 

It’s easy to look at Charlie Kirk’s death and turn it into a parable about the state of our nation or a platform for reinforcing our own political views. But I want to pause and contemplate what it means for any life to be snuffed out. We are all made in the image of God, whether or not we surrender our lives to Jesus, and therefore it grieves God deeply when that image is violated or destroyed (Gen. 9:6). God also places us all in families, giving us unique roles that only we can play. Our absence, whether physical or emotional, creates a vacuum that cannot be downplayed. So when I consider yesterday’s loss, although it has significant implications for our country, I’m most impressed by how grieved the Lord is over what has transpired. And secondarily, by how much we should be mourning for Charlie’s precious wife and children.

But there is also hope. Charlie Kirk was not just a political figure. He was also a brother in Christ who understood that true transformation is not possible apart from a worldview rooted in the gospel. (If you’re curious about his Christian witness, check out this video on atheism and morality and this video on the gender controversy). I admired him because he could have difficult conversations on politically-charged topics while modeling 1 Peter 3:15:

“Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.”

And it is this Christian testimony that gives hope as we pray for Charlie’s family. While I believe we should grieve him as a human being, father, and brother in Christ first and foremost, I believe that our shared kinship in Christ means that his loss, while irreplaceable, is one illumined by redemption. Charlie ran the race well and is rejoicing before the face of his Father and Redeemer, finally received into that great cloud of witnesses that was cheering for him during his time on earth. And the God he is worshiping this very moment has also revealed Himself to us as “our merciful Father and the source of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3).  He is near to the brokenhearted and carries them in His arms every day (Psalm 34:18; 68:19). While no one will ever be able to replace who Charlie was to his family, we can trust that the Lord will be faithful to keep His promise to comfort, carry, and heal them day by day.

No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, I hope that today can be a day of remembering the shared preciousness of human life and the image of God that we all bear, no matter our background. I hope it will also be a time of remembering the unity that is found in Christ, as well as the hope that this offers when we’re confronted with tragedy. Finally, I hope that Charlie’s example will encourage us to be more bold in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ kindly and unapologetically in the contexts in which God has placed us.

“No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.” ~ Matt. 5:15