reflected in the culture at large. Joshua 24 says:
14 "Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!
15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
He made that bold declaration that not only would he serve the Lord, but his "house" would do the same. He dedicated his family to the service of God. God has ordained family relationships as a means of loving, supporting, and providing structure and security. And, where those relationships have broken down, I believe that the Church can provide an alternative unit of support for people. We can be thankful for our families and depend on the Lord to have His way in those important relationships.
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So many can be thankful for the strength of their families, and we can be encouraged to remember how God has worked in the lives of those closest to us. But, there are some that do not have a strong family, and can rely on the resources of a loving church family. God has a purpose for families and
communities. In Psalm 68, we read:
4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name Yah, And rejoice before Him.
5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.
6 God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
It was a scene replicated at churches across America, the point in the worship service when the preacher would go to the pulpit and deliver a sermon, to proclaim God's Word.
Bryan Holcombe, the associate pastor of his church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, was designated to preach this past Sunday. As he approached the pulpit, though, little did he know that his life would soon be taken from him. Because, at that moment, according to reports, a black-clad man with an assault rifle began to shoot...
USA Today reported that Bryan was killed. So was his wife, Karla.
Their son, Marc, dead. His one-year-old daughter, Noah, taken, although his wife, Holly, survived.
The gunman took the life of Bryan and Karla's daughter-in-law, Crystal. And, four of her children - Emily, Megan, and Greg, plus her child with whom she was pregnant, due to be born in April. Crystal had been widowed and married John Holcombe, who was wounded, but survived, along with her two other children - Evelyn was also taken to the hospital, but released. Son Phillip was not at church that day.
A total of nine lives were taken that day, spanning three generations, including Crystal's unborn child, in one family, died that day. They comprised one-third of the victims. 27 total. Thanks to WORLD for actually reporting the accurate death toll - many media outlets say 26, not taking into account Crystal's unborn child.
Bryan and Karla Holcombe's niece Holly Maddox Elliott, told USA Today that the family was "tight-knit." Her aunt and uncle “had hearts full of love for everybody.” She said, "They didn’t judge anyone,” adding, “They had hearts of gold. They helped anybody and everybody they could.” The couple had been married 40 years.
The USA Today article stated:
Crystal Holcombe’s Facebook profile painted a picture of a woman devoted to her family, describing her husband in a post several weeks ago as “the love of my life.”
“Excited to celebrate another birthday with you in my world!” wrote Holcombe.
In her last public post Saturday, she glowingly described her daughters’ achievements, accompanied by photos — one girl posed with what appeared to be a plate of quesadillas and the other with a yogurt parfait, both garnished.
As usual, John Holcombe posted his Sunday school lesson online a day ahead. It was about an Old Testament miracle.
But the following morning, his family would bear an unspeakable burden: nearly a third of the fatalities in Texas’ worst mass shooting.Joe Holcombe, described as the "family patriarch" on the People Magazine website, is quoted by the site from Floresville, TX, speaking of son, Bryan: “He’s a Christian so we know he’s in Heaven. It’s not as hard on us, because we know we’ll be together again and it will be for a long time this time.”
The People story says: "Wrote Cristopher Foster, in a fundraiser set up on behalf of Bryan’s daughter Sarah Slavin, 'This is one of the most [truly] loving and kind-hearted families in our nation.'"
What a wonderful picture of a family knit together, attending and serving the church together, apparently a pillar of the congregation. They will have tough times ahead, but they have the strength of a family structure that will serve them well in the days to come.
The family - it's an institution that serves humanity and our country well - an institution through which the Lord works mightily. And, even though there are pressures on modern-day families, God can use that family to provide love, nurturing, structure, security, and to provide a means through which His Word can be taught to future generations. There are broken families and fractured families, and those who have no family - and the Church can even play a role in making sure that people are supported.
Now, contrast the cohesion of the Holcombe family with that of the shooter, Devin Patrick Kelley. This is apparently someone who had some difficulties in family relationships and did not seem to have the structure to hold him accountable and provide help in his struggles. He is certainly responsible for his actions, but he operated outside the realm of family. The Daily Mail has a list of some of Kelley's disturbing actions and attitudes:
Devin Patrick Kelley had a violent history and a disturbing history of dating teen girls
In 2012, Kelley was court-martialed for abusing his then wife Tessa Kelley and his infant stepson
A former Air Force chief prosecutor said that Kelley admitted to beating his son so severely that the boy's skull fractured
Kelley was sentenced to 12 months confinement and was reduced to the lowest rank possible
Soon after being released, he remarried to 19-year-old Danielle Lee Shields
The two moved to Colorado that year, when Kelley was arrested for beating their pet pit bull puppy
Authorities said Monday that the couple had become estranged sometime after moving in with Kelley's parents in New Braunfels, Texas earlier this year
He was also on bad terms with his wife's mother, Michelle Shields, who attended First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas
His mother-in-law was not at the church at the time of the massacre, but her mother was and died...The story says that, "At an afternoon press conference, police revealed that Kelley had 'expressed anger towards his mother-in-law' and sent her 'threatening texts'."
The same website, in another article, stated that, according to those who knew him, he was an "outcast" who "preached his atheism" online. The article says that former classmates described him as "creepy," "crazy," and "weird." It reports that one classmate wrote on Facebook: "In (sic) in complete shock! I legit just deleted him off my fb cause I couldn't stand his post." She added, "He was always talking about how people who believe in God we're stupid and trying to preach his atheism..."
What a contrast! And, I think there are numerous principles that we can consider. One is, as I have alluded to already, the strength of the family. Life in families has changed in our culture, and you may have a strong family structure, or perhaps a broken one, or you may have very few, if any, family members that are still around. If there are areas in which you need to reach out to family members, the holidays can provide a great opportunity. There may be some issues that need to be confronted and hopefully healed, rather than allow conflict to deepen. We need each other, and God has given us a family. If those relationships are no longer existent or intact, the church has the opportunity to step in a provide security, stability, and support.
The church family was obviously a big part of the Holcombes' lives and the church will provide support and structure for them in the days to come. We all need structure for our lives - we can get that in our families, and we can receive and provide it in the body of Christ. God has provided each of us with gifts that we can contribute in order to strengthen the church - to serve, to grow, and to enjoy quality fellowship.
Within the culture of family and community, there may be an opportunity to identify those who are weak in their faith. Devin Kelley had rejected the church, although there are indications that he may have served earlier in his life. He had some serious domestic issues and even threatened his mother-in-law. This was a troubled individual. And, this goes back to the church, as well - we may have people whom God will direct to us who are struggling, even facing mental health issues. By remaining sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we can help bring to light people in crisis, perhaps referring them to a pastor or pastoral counselor - but I think we have that responsibility not to remain silent when we suspect troubled individuals in our midst.
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