Hate got a good look at love - The Charlie Kirk memorial service

Never has a love fest been witnessed on camera, conjuring up what we can only imagine heaven will look like, in eternity, as seen live by millions, on broadcast television. With over 73,000, filling the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, yet another 10,000 or more watched from an adjacent spillover facility.

People from all walks of life and a variety of locations, including those from abroad, shared two things in common.  hey came to honor the legend of Charlie Kirk, a man who wisely devoted his entire life to the pursuit of deep faith, the love and appreciation of country, patriotism, the great blessing of family and the importance of open and free debate.  

Their other shared value was the outpouring of love they displayed towards the man, their country and one another. So, for all the lying claims, including the one made by Charlie’s assassin, that he had to put an end to this kind of hate, the engaging smiles, warmth and obvious affection, characterized by all who attended, starkly contradicted the false and vicious claims that Charlie was spreading hate speech.

What had been expected to be a tribute to his life, quickly turned into an anointed worship service, an invitation to come to the same faith embraced by Charlie and a time of reflection in the importance of taking up the mantle to restore a broken and fractured America.

Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, who had only learned a few days earlier that the name Kirk is a derivative of the word, “church,” reflected on how we, the audience, whether at home or present in the stadium, were participants in Charlie’s church. And truly, that’s how it felt.

It was a rare moment of opportunity, for so many, including the executives of Turning Point USA, close friends, dignitaries, politicians, Charlie’s wife and even the Secretary of State, Vice-President and President to speak about the importance of their faith. Each explained how God took the form of man, came to earth and suffered for them, so that their sins could be forgiven.

Fox moderator, Lawrence Jones said that in his 32 years of life, he’d never seen anything like it before – politicians and leaders actually speaking about God’s Son and inviting others to come to faith in Him. I can go one better. In nearly 74 years of life, I, too, have never witnessed anything like what I saw last night.

So many referred to this event as a spiritual revival, which could have only occurred with the homegoing of Charlie Kirk, the man who ushered the return to American values, beginning with the knowledge of God as our source for all things, especially freedom.

Charlie’s vision was to defeat the enemies of that freedom, especially Marxism which had overtaken our universities and political arenas. By promoting what some would view as the outdated concept of marriage, he knew that a life well-spent was one which honored our spouses and children, strengthening each coming generation with the things that were most important.

Unlike the riots, bloodshed and anarchy which have come to mark the death of criminals hailed as heroes, Charlie’s death was met with the glory and recognition due to him for being the force that led each one of us to believe that America has not been defeated despite the deluge of unprecedented wickedness.

Perhaps, one of the greatest verbal images of the evening was given by Donald Trump, Jr., who described Charlie’s assassin as a person who crawled on his belly to do his dastardly deed. Of course, we remember how Satan, once an angel, appeared in the Garden of Eden, but was later cursed to crawl on his belly and eat the dust while living in total humiliation. 

This is the same legacy of Charlie’s killer, the act of a coward, consumed with hatred and venom for a godly man whose crime was pointing the way to a life filled with peace towards others, oneself and their Creator.  

Erica Kirk, during her own moments of reflection, made mention of her husband’s life being devoted to saving troubled young men, much like his assassin. It was then that she made the touching and heartrending statement that she forgave him for what he did. 

Those words got the longest applause, because they were the ultimate proof of the incomprehensible devotion to God, required to be able to forgive the man who murdered the love of your life and the father of your children.

What stronger evidence is needed to point towards the choice which can only come from a deep, abiding connection with the living God? 

As so many said, Charlie’s voice has been amplified many times over through his tragic death. The enemy of God, indeed, overplayed his hand, not realizing that the impactful inspiration which Charlie gave, during his short life, has now been multiplied many times over.

While alive, he empowered students whose voice had been extinguished by the haters of God’s greatest blessings. He made them feel heard and not ashamed to come out of the shadows, realizing they weren’t alone. They cheered him on as he so eloquently and convincingly defeated even the cleverest of arguments against right living.

In his death, Charlie has given voice to the message of freedom, family and the Creator, without whom life is meaningless and aspirations futile, because living for Him is the only existence with true purpose and eternal worth. 

Undoubtedly, those were not the calculated outcomes that were considered by snuffing out the life of a man, solely devoted to God’s work.  The covenant he made with the Almighty, to return America back to its glory, by, first of all, pointing the way to Him, was not a calling which could be blocked by human effort.

For those who struggle with the question of why God did not choose to sovereignly save his life, perhaps, the best answer came from one of the speakers who quoted John 12:24 which says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

Charlie Kirk’s death will surely bear more fruit than had he remained alive, because now, each one must take up the mantle and continue that call to righteousness, through the great example of the love that God has for us, best demonstrated by the life and times of Charlie Kirk.