I am devastated by what happened on Wednesday, June 14th, when a 66-year old man shows up at a GOP baseball practice game in Alexandria, Virginia and begins open fire on the congressmen. The shooter critically wounded one and injured four others. The shooter died from gun shots. How have we gotten to the point we are at today? There seems to be no respect for each other in our differences of views, race, or opinions. So many people think that it is all about what they want and that only their opinion matters. As a Christian nation, we have gotten so far away from our Christian morals and how we are called to live a Christian life.

In Colossians 3:5—4:5, St. Paul reminds us of how we are to live as believers in Jesus Christ. The list is long and defines the Christian life as, “tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowances for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you; Clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together…We are called to live in peace” (Colossians 3:12-15). St. Paul also states that our ethnicity, skin color, or economic background, does not and should not divide us. We all belong to Christ and are called to respect and love each other.

I’m going to be honest, it breaks my heart the way we treat each other – even in our own congregations, neighborhoods, and beyond. St. Paul says, “Remember the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (Colossians 3:13). Those of us who are in God’s Word and know the Lord, have a job to do…Those who live a life of evil have no problem going into the world and witnessing to that evil and demonstrating the hate in their hearts. Therefore, we are called to go into the world and witness to the love of our Lord, Jesus Christ by demonstrating the love in our hearts through our words, actions, and deeds.

We must be bold! We cannot be afraid!

St. Paul ends his letter to the Colossians this way:

“Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone” (Colossians 4:5).

Let us pray, Gracious God, we pray for those who were there amongst the evil that was demonstrated at the ball field. We pray for the lost souls who have gotten so far from you. Bring us ever so closer to you and give us the strength to witness to your love through our actions, words, and deeds. We love you so much. Amen.