If you had the opportunity to watch Charlie Kirk’s memorial service on Sunday, you may relate to my experience. My kids started watching the memorial, and I was drawn in—which was NOT at all on my long list of “to-dos” for my Sunday afternoon. After all, I had a shed to organize and a large load to take to our storage unit, but I got hooked for one reason—the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I’ve never witnessed anything like it. Speaker after speaker, leader after leader, politician after politician, speaking the name of Jesus Christ—boldly—in the public square. As I mentioned in my last Round Table, it transcended Kirk’s particular beliefs and went right to the heart of the matter—we live in a world that desperately needs Jesus Christ. 

We need Jesus Christ more than we care to admit. This is why I got sucked in. Just like you, I get busy. Busy with work, family, and leading a Christian ministry, I sometimes get so caught up that I forget my own need for the gospel. I forget that each day, every minute of every day, I am a needy person who desperately needs Christ’s healing touch. 

Along with this topic, if you have not watched The Chosen as a family, I highly recommend it. It may be a bit intense for younger children, but our son Andrew (5th grade) is now more than able to watch it. One of the episodes we recently watched showed the dual story of two needy people. I have read this story hundreds of times in Matthew’s Gospel, but I was moved to tears by how the episode depicted it.

First, Jairus, a synagog leader, finds himself in a desperate situation. His daughter falls ill and is near death. The doctors cannot heal her, and he is charged with getting her affairs in order in preparation for her death. He knows what he needs to do. He must find the healer. The one who he is NOT supposed to support or be near because he is a very controversial figure in Israel, and as the synagogue leader, he needs to tow the party line. But he is desperate and throws off his temple obligations in an effort to save his daughter. 

In comes another needy person. A woman who has been bleeding for 12 years. She’s ceremonially unclean at all times, which means she cannot be seen in public. But she is desperate, and she knows she needs more than any earthly doctor can give her. In fact, she’s exhausted all of her resources in an attempt to be healed, but to no avail. So she sets out to find Jesus. She knows that if she can just touch the hem of his garment, she will be healed.

You know how these stories end. The woman manages to touch Jesus amidst a busy crowd and is healed. Next comes Jairus, whose daughter has passed by this point in the story, but the Great Healer heals her, too. 

These two examples–Kirk’s memorial and scenes from The Chosen–underline one truth: We all need Jesus. Like the desperate woman longing to be healed, so do we need to be healed from past hurts, from current infirmities, and from our broken and sinful selves. We need Jesus. However, we also live in a time in our history where we see factions against each other—all vying for position and power. But we are missing the point. The remedy is not power; it is Jesus. 

Charlie Kirk had a strong vision to save our country. It came through loud and clear in his memorial, and he viewed politics as a lever to do that. But he also knew that all the politics in the world would not solve the underlying problem. We are broken people—more than we care to admit—and that brokenness has one and only one solution—Jesus Christ. Ultimately, this is the only thing that truly matters, and it is the only thing that will heal our brokenness. 

“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25) 

Grateful to be in Christ with all of you!

Eric DeVries, Head of School