Without any doubt whatsoever, the biggest piece of news since the last time I wrote to you has been the attempted assassination of American former president and now presidential hopeful, Donald Trump.
I do not wish or intend to enter into any political discussion here, but what I will point out is not to do with Trump himself, but another person who was inadvertently involved in this incident.
Sitting in the seats behind Trump was Buffalo firefighter Corey Comperatore, who attended the rally with his wife and two daughters.
Unfortunately, he was directly in the line of fire from where the assassin was positioned.
When the shooting started, he immediately jumped up and in front of his family, shielding them with his own body from the onslaught that ensued.
That was the last thing that he ever did.
He died while trying to protect his family from that cowardly attack, from which neither he nor anyone else had any defence whatsoever.
Comperatore was a devoted family man and a committed Christian, being a member and regular attender of the Cabot Methodist Church in Pennsylvania.
He was also known as a man who was dedicated to the service of his community.
According to Bishop David Zubik of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, “Comperatore’s selfless act in the face of danger speaks to his strength of character, deep faith, and dedication to serving others.”
The loss of Comperatore was utterly unjust and unnecessary, yet in sacrificing himself for his family he reminds us of the work of Christ who willingly gave His life in sacrifice to redeem all those who would follow and accept Him, right down through the ages to this day.
In the gospel of John, Jesus said to his disciples, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
In teaching this, Christ is calling his followers to massively imitate the relationship between them and Himself, towards others.
Thankfully sacrifice does not often involve laying down one’s life.
The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans said, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship.”
He is appealing to the readers to recognise the enormity of the gift that Jesus has given them through His own sacrifice on the cross and to respond in service to Him.
He is not asking for the believer’s life, although in a sinful ancient world, for many that would be the outcome, but rather what He seeks is the believers love, devotion, worship and service, a relatively small price to pay in return for the enormous gift that Jesus has given.
There is no doubt whatsoever that the events of July 13 in Pennsylvania will go down in infamy.
Yet they will also forever be remembered for the unimaginable bravery and courage of Corey Comperatore, who, in the truest possible sense, was called upon to follow the words of Christ in willingly laying down his life for his friends.