I’d like to pay tribute to the nine church members in South Carolina who recently lost their lives while attending church on a Wednesday night: Clementa Pinckney (41) the senior pastor at the church, Sharonda Coleman Singleton (45) an assistant pastor, DePayne Middleton Doctor (49), Cynthia Hurd (54), Susie Jackson (87), Ethel Lance (70), Tywanza Sanders (26), Daniel Simmons Sr. (74), & Myra Thompson (59)
Our loss is great. Nine saints gathered to worship the Lord are gone and one evil, hate-filled killer remains with us.
First of all, let me note that we have many more like them, like us, that buck the trends of our society and make the worship of our Lord a priority. I can’t imagine what an intelligent, well educated, hard working pastor Clementa C. Pinckney was that he could lead a congregation and serve as a state senator. How sad that a fool could take him from us.
Next, I marvel at the peaceful, loving response of the community and relatives of these good people. Listening to the words of their children & grandchildren as they speak at their funerals tells us their faith was real & it has left an impression on everyone that knew them. The killer could take their lives but not their testimonies nor their influence. There is a profound difference between the response to the deaths of these innocent people than there has been to the passing of others that were killed while committing violent or illegal acts! No riots; prayer services and communities coming together. It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if after having experienced their welcoming smiles the evening before his heinous act if that boy doesn’t confess, repent of his hatred & run to the cross feeling the full horror of the sin that clings to his soul. That would indeed be a jewel in the crowns of those martyrs.
But more, let the actions of prejudice shock us all. Let it serve as a cleansing bleach removing the stains of hatred that linger in our own souls. Take down the confederate flags in our own hearts. Refuse to use race as a reason to judge another; remove from our vocabulary derogatory words and wash from our conversation anything that smacks of racism. This is how we ought to honor these dead brothers and sisters: by walking away from their funerals with cleaner hearts. Then they will not have died in vain.