Earlier today, Turkish police officer Melvut Mert Altinua walked into an art exhibition in Ankara and perused the art. A few minutes after Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov started speaking about Turkish-Russian relations, Altinua fired multiple shots that sliced through Karlov’s body. Frantically waving a gun, Altunua gave praise to Allah and declared, “Do not forget Aleppo!” The Russian government has been extremely instrumental in defending the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The entire shooting was captured on video. I watched it this afternoon.
Early in the video, I felt sick to my stomach Melvut Mert Altinua approached Andrey Karlov from behind. The moments are incredibly ominous. Then, I saw the bullets blow through the shirt of Karlov. In the midst of it all, I couldn’t help but think about the passion of Christ. I believe that Jesus is with all who are murdered. When someone is shot down, I believe that Jesus is shot down too. Jesus is the God of the continuous incarnation. So, it also makes sense that Jesus was also with Altinua when he was later killed by Turkish special forces. The incarnation brings us together by taking our shots. Jesus lives the perpetual crucifixion.
Amen.
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