Commemoration of Charles James Kirk and Vigil for Our Nation

September 12, 2025

St. Matthew 5:1-16

Why does it hurt? I found myself strangely transfixed by the news of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. I would occasionally watch clips of him talking with college students. I admired his courage and charity, and his ability to confess the Gospel with great clarity. But I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about him or his work. I wasn’t his target audience.

So why did his assassination seem to matter so much? It’s more than a young man with so much promise being cut down, leaving behind a wife and two very little children. His murder is the outgrowth of a deep spiritual battle that has been raging. It signifies the descent into a new kind of darkness, where a man who simply wanted to have a conversation, and talk about freedom, and the crisis of fatherlessness, and his faith in Jesus – when a man like that can be so hated, and slandered, and vilified, that his murder is celebrated across the nation – then something has deeply changed.

His willingness to speak the truth was met with violence and lies. It makes it feel like the light is dying. So it hurts. Because it’s about more than a man. It feels like the idea of America is dying. And worse, it feels like the Gospel is losing. These are dark days.

But we cannot stay there. For Jesus Christ is the light of the world, the light no darkness can overcome. The light shines in the darkness, and still shines. There’s a saying about early Christianity: The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. The more the demons rage, the more Christians are struck down, the more people are drawn to the faithful witness of those who did not love their lives to the death. There is something of greater worth than a few more years of life, a few more dollars, a few more drinks, a few more vacations.

The light shines in the darkness. The forces of darkness want you to turn from that light. The demons want you to be silent.

In crowds, the “heckler’s veto” silences others by shouting them down. It can also happen simply when a person is afraid to voice his opinion knowing he will be hated for what he says.

The Assassin’s Veto does something similar: outdoor events such as Charlie Kirk held become effectively banned because schools claim the security risks are too high to allow speakers who articulate a Christian worldview.

The Holy Apostles faced the hecklers veto and the assassin’s veto, along with the Sanhedrin’s veto and the Roman veto. But they would not stop confessing the name of Jesus.

After healing a lame man in Jerusalem, Peter and John were arrested. And Peter testified, “By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands before you whole… Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” [Acts 4.10, 12].

They were then commanded to not speak or teach the name of Jesus. Peter and John replied, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard [about Jesus].”

Later, they were put on trial again. And Peter and the company of the Apostles testified, and were not ashamed, but testified in the name of Jesus, “We must obey God rather than men” [Acts 5:29].

“We cannot but speak.” “We must obey God rather than men.” “We cannot but speak.”

Brothers and sisters, this is our calling. This is the lesson Charlie Kirk also taught us, by his actions. He was not afraid to go to the most hostile places in our land and speak the name of Jesus. Certainly he spoke of his political views, and of his arguments regarding the vision of our American founders. But he never hesitated to say that his political views were far less important than his confession of Jesus. “The most important thing is to bring Jesus into your life. It’s way more important than politics, it’s the most important thing.” He told a young lady whose parents were separated and disagreed about politics that she had a commandment to honor both of them, and always to ground her conversations on the Bible rather than politics. If the foundation was right, then everything else would follow.

To confess Jesus in a world that hates Jesus requires courage. To go to church when you might get shot requires courage. To send your children to a Christian school, when these schools are targets, requires courage. To stand against the forces of evil requires courage. To kindle a light when the darkness wants to snuff you out requires courage. We will not find that courage within ourselves. We will find it where all the holy martyrs found it: in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Paraklete, which among other things means “the encourager.” The Spirit preaches Christ to us, who is by our side upon the plain with His good gifts and Spirit.

An interviewer asked Charlie Kirk, “How do you want to be remembered?” His response, “I want to be remembered for courage for my faith.”

Pastor Jared Moore said it well:

Charlie Kirk was murdered for being a public Christian who taught the ethics of Jesus Christ. Before you cower from being a public Christian, remember that you too will be in the grave soon. The question is if you will live for Jesus or if you will live for fear. Choose Jesus.

Kirk had perfected the simple summary of Law and Gospel. We’re all going to die, we all have a court date. We’re all going before the supreme Judge of the universe. Justice is getting what you deserve, which is going to a not so good place. We’re all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. But thanks to the cross, a perfect loving God became man, lived a perfect life and died for us. At the sentencing, Jesus says, “I know him; I know her. Welcome to eternal life.” The Gospel in 4 words: Jesus took my place. 3 words is Him for me; 2 words is substitutionary atonement; 1 word is grace. Grace you cannot earn; grace, you do not pay for. It doesn’t matter how much you’ve done. What’s different about Christianity is it is a gift for all of humanity.

It’s a simple Gospel message, but he wasn’t simplistic. At one of his public Q&A sessions, Charlie was asked what Jesus stood for. He went, from memory, to John 8. He said

[This chapter] best embodies both Christ’s mercy and love, but also His commitment to truth. And sometimes, in the modern gospel, we overemphasize the grace, and we under-emphasize the truth. And so we are far too willing to say, ‘Hey, Jesus loves everybody,’ but we don’t get to the second part … ‘Jesus doesn’t want you to live in sin.’

He then went on to discuss the woman caught in adultery, where Jesus said the one who is without sin cast the first stone. But Jesus doesn’t stop there; “Christ is not just grace focused, He’s simultaneously truth focused.” Christ told her, “Sin no more.” We have to be both willing to forgive sins, but we cannot continue to live in sin. Jesus wants us to “elevate our actions to glorify God in all we do.”

One questioner objected to Charlie being a “Christian Nationalist.” Charlie responded he’s a Christian and a nationalist, going on to say that various OT saints prayed for the welfare of the nations where they were captive, and sought its well-being. These are controversial issues today, but Kirk’s basic premise was we should be salt and light to our nation. Salt and light change their environment; we should change our environment to be more Christ-like. Now it’s the job of politics to sort out the best way to do that. It’s our job as disciples to do that in our homes, our church, our neighborhood. We all should want our community to be Christian. How do we get there? Look at our first reading, from Isaiah:

“‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord.” That embodied Kirk’s own approach. He invited people to a discussion. He called people to a world where arguments could be settled by words, not weapons. For that, he was killed. But still, the call goes out, not from Charlie, but from God – to us: “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.’” This is what Jesus offers us. This is what Jesus offers those who kill Him, and those who kill His disciples: absolution.

He invites us to be washed in the blood of the Lamb. For the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us poor sinners, and fortify us against the forces of darkness!

When we look at those slaughtered in our day, struck down while praying, struck down at church, struck down while confessing the truth, it seems the forces of darkness are winning. It appears the demons are winning. But Harper Moyski, the 10yo girl, and Fletcher Merkle, the 8yo boy killed at Annunciation in Minneapolis while attending Mass, and Charlie Kirk, they join the multitude gathered around the Victor, Jesus Christ who is King. “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple.”

Some object to us honoring Charlie as a faithful Christian. One person called Charlie someone “as far from Christianity as is possible,” and someone “overt[ly] hostil[e] towards anyone not Caucasian,” and someone who believed “White Makes Right.” Of course, anyone who was passingly familiar with his work knew this was not true. And he would invite such people to have a conversation. That was an amazing aspect of his personality – he would talk to anyone, and while quick witted and certainly by his own admission a sinner, he genuinely wanted to get past the slogans and to the truth. But in death the hatred continues. So it is good to remember the words of Jesus, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.” For My sake. Those are key words. If we’re going to be hated, let’s be hated for the right reasons: Confessing Jesus, confessing truth, courageously condemning evil, quickly forgiving.

And when that hatred and reviling comes—not because of our own flaws, but because of Christ and His Word—then “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Harper Moyski, Fletcher Merkle, Charlie Kirk, and going back to the students from the Covenant School shooting in Nashville - these weren’t killed by lone gunmen. They were killed by the politicians and media and educational systems that repeatedly call Christians fascists, Hitler, calling good evil and evil good, celebrating the destruction of babies and mutilation of children. We live in a culture so dark and evil we can barely comprehend it.

But the way all these died – in church on their knees, at a Christian school studying the Bible, or on campus having an open dialogue – all of their deaths bear witness to us on how to live. It falls now to us to spend more time on our knees, more time in our Bibles, and more time in the public square confessing the truth.

And then, carry out Kirk’s program for delivering us from nihilism:

Get married.

Have children.

Build a legacy.

Pass down your values.

Pursue the eternal.

Seek true joy.

Only the Gospel changes the world. Only the Gospel can heal our nation. And that Gospel lives in you when you listen to the first Word God spoke to our first parents: “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it.” Faith in Jesus, faithfulness to your family, fairness and decency to those who disagree with you – that is the way forward.

“Put on the whole armor of God,” the Apostle Paul says.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. [Eph. 6:11-20]

In these evil days, stand. Take up the armor of God. Speak boldly.

It might cost us everything. But take they our life; goods, fame, child, and wife, though these all be gone, they still have nothing won, the kingdom ours remaineth. Those who have gone before us, the martyrs and confessors, they loved Jesus, they loved the truth.

Now we’re called to pick up that torch. Be courageous. Don’t stop confessing. Jesus is risen from the dead.

No bullet, no guillotine, no cross has the final word. “He is risen!” That’s the final word. And the dead in Christ shall likewise rise.

+Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord+