Trump shot

Trump was shot while at a rally in Pennsylvania

Apparently doing well afterwards

Shots fired at Trump rally in Pennsylvania

 

Pastor Tim Smith of Crossing Community Church (Newtown, Pennsylvania) in an admonition prior to the sermon today.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1183480339350828

(40:10)
I believe it's the job of the church to try and address things that are happening in our community and in our culture in a relevant way ... just not with the sermon always, but at least with a comment that is in some way guiding.

And so, I'm not sure what you've been doing for the past 18 hours, but we were as much as an earlobe [away] from waking up to an entirely different world this morning.

If you've never believed in the providence of God, then, you should just pay attention to how closely the former President almost died last light.
I say that because we as God's people have a responsibility. to behave and to speak in a way that honors God and people.
And so, its not hard at all to go online and find 'Christians', (and I don't say 'Christians' like their not), I'm saying, to find 'Christians' who dishonor elected officials, speak ill of them, mock them, "Let's go Brandon" all over the place on their Facebook pages. They wear their t-shirts and stuff...
I think that's wrong;
I think that's ungodly;
I think that it's dishonoring to God.
So, whether you [dishonor] any politician ... we as God's people, right now!, as we always need to be, right now!, we need to be LIGHT!

It doesn't matter whether you like the guy in front of you, talking on T.V. or not.
We need to be light! We have a mandate to honor, to respect, and to pray for the elected officials that stand over us.
There's not a contingency anywhere in there that we have to like them, or to agree with them, or anything else like that.

But what we're doing is NOT representing a party, our candidate, our politician,
We're representing the King of the Universe, who stands above and beyond all those things.
And he asks uo to stand above and beyond all those things as well.

You don't have to forfeit your opinion;
You don't have to forfeit your vote...
You just have to forget dishonoring, ungodly behavior.
So, may it not be found among us.
that we will [not] participate in those things and that we will neither in private conversations or public postings, be dishonoring, disrespectful of any elected official...

Every year they say, "This is the big one".
You know what?, this seems like 'it's a big one"!
And so, this year, we need to be honoring.
This year, we need to be LIGHT.
Our nation needs the Church to be light, more than ever.

So, may we be that light in your small circles of influence.

Because last night should have been a wake-up call to just how close we would have been to an entirely different situation today.

(43:53)
PRAYER