“Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you’re in our prayers as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn’t just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions.” – 1 Thessalonians 1:2
I had a chance to watch the press conference this morning with the pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs (file photo to the left)- the church where the shootings took place this past Sunday. It’s hard to make something so senseless make sense when things like this happen – when random violence takes place, when tragedy strikes.
I was really impressed by the words that Pastor Brady Boyd spoke today to the media. Someone asked if he would ever be able to forgive the shooter for what he did. The pastor answered almost immediately. “He’s already forgiven. It would be impossible not to forgive him, because as a follower of Christ, Christ has forgiven me.”
He went on to say that yes, he was angry and upset and grieving for what happened, but that he forgave the shooter and his heart went out to the shooter’s family. At least twice. he shared with the media, and the world, what it means to be a Christian, and that it’s in moments like this, why we need a relationship with Christ the most.
It is easy to talk about Christ from the comfort of a pew or the safety of our home or in the familiarity of our friends. It is much different to stand in front of dozens of national press after seeing your church members killed and bullet holes in your church doors and windows.
I believe that it is not at our best, but at our very worst, that Christ is glorified the most. And today, I believe, He was glorified. The words the pastor chose and the spirit in which he gave them was exactly what was needed. He showed his humanness while at the same time he showed why we rely on Christ in the first place and he did it in a very loving, very compassionate and humble way. His convictions were strong and they showed through, loud and clear, even in a tragic and upsetting time.
This pastor has only been at the church since August – this is the church that went through the sex scandal last year of its last pastor, Ted Haggard, who was fired in November of 2006 following allegations from a former male prostitute that Haggard had paid for sexual services and purchased methamphetamines over a period of a few years. As he started his first Sunday at the church, the new pastor, Pastor Boyd, was asked how he would help restore his church’s reputation.
He told the reporter, “By doing the right thing for a very long time.”
Doing the right thing when you don’t feel like doing the right thing. Fighting off stronger emotions for what’s right. Throwing away hate for love. Forgiving. Grieving. Comforting others. Looking ahead to God’s purpose and His plan.
The radio station where my husband works has a sister station in Colorado Springs and several of the employees there actually go to New Life where the shooting occurred. None of them were hurt, and on the morning show today they interviewed a college student who had been there when it happened. She said her thoughts had been with the shooter – didn’t he know that God loved him?
I had thought the same thing. Who reached out to him in the past? He was raised in a deeply religious home according to news reports – what had happened that made him turn so far away from God?
When things like this happen, I think we don’t need to spend our time thinking about how the world is less safe and wringing our hands and locking our doors. I do think we need to allow ourselves a wake up call to 1) – check our own convictions and ask the hard questions, that we are devoted to Christ no matter the circumstances, and 2) – look for ways to be intentional and show love to others who don’t know Christ. Refuse to stay within the Christian subculture but look for ways to be a light.
Light… and steel.
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