Another tragedy has shaken our nation. This time, in Minneapolis, where a school—intended to be a place of learning, safety, and innocence—became the site of hatred and horror. Children’s lives were taken, families devastated, and a community left with grief that words cannot begin to measure. We can hardly process such violence without feeling a mixture of sorrow, anger, and deep confusion.
Our hearts break for those affected. To every parent, sibling, and grandparent who now carries an empty chair at the table, there are no words deep enough. And yet, it is in these moments that we must speak—not with platitudes, but with truth.
The Bible has never been silent about the nature of humanity. For two thousand years, Scripture has warned us of a time when hatred, violence, and selfishness would only increase. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:1–5 that in the last days people would be lovers of themselves, proud, abusive, ungrateful, heartless, brutal, and reckless. Jesus said in Matthew 24 that “because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.”
Human behavior may be unpredictable in its details, but the trajectory of a world separated from God is not. What we are seeing is not random chaos—it is the fruit of hearts hardened to God’s truth, of a culture increasingly hostile toward the things of Christ.
This tragedy, like so many others before it, reminds us that the world does not just need better laws, better schools, or better politics—it needs transformation. The deepest wound in humanity is not found in legislation but in the heart. No amount of policy can remove hatred; only the gospel of Jesus Christ can change a heart of stone into a heart of flesh.
The church must stop being silent observers. We cannot be content to whisper the truth in our sanctuaries while the world shouts lies in the streets. If there has ever been a time for awakening, it is now.
This does not mean being loud in anger or arrogance—it means being loud in truth, in love, and in hope. The world is drowning in despair, and yet the church has the one message that saves: that Jesus Christ came to bring forgiveness, healing, and eternal life. Our communities don’t need more division; they need a living demonstration of the love of God poured out through His people.
Now is the time for Christians to rise and live boldly. Now is the time to speak the truth even when it is unpopular, to shine the light when darkness tries to suffocate, and to carry the gospel into every corner of a broken world. Silence is no longer an option.
The Minneapolis tragedy is another heartbreaking reminder of what hatred produces. But it is also a reminder of what the church is called to confront. We are not helpless. We are not voiceless or without hope. We carry the name of the One who is hope itself.
Let’s mourn with those who mourn. Let’s pray for healing. But let’s also awaken. Because a silent church in a loud world is no church at all.
Lord, today we come before You brokenhearted. Our nation has once again been shaken by tragedy, and innocent lives have been taken. We lift up every victim of the Minneapolis shooting, their families, and their loved ones who now face an emptiness words cannot fill. Wrap them in Your comfort. Surround them with people who will carry them, pray for them, and remind them they are not alone.
We also pray for the family of the aggressor. While the world may only see the evil act, You see every soul. Their family carries a weight they did not choose, and they too need Your healing touch. Bring them peace and draw them close to You in this time of confusion and grief.
Lord, beyond this one tragedy, we see hatred growing all around us. The violence, the anger, the coldness—it’s spreading. And we know Your Word has warned us of these days. But You have also promised that where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. We cry out for awakening in this nation, for Your church to rise with boldness, and for Your Spirit to move with power.
Awaken us, God. Shake us out of silence and stir us with compassion and courage. May we shine Your light into the darkness, speak Your truth in love, and live out the gospel with urgency.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.