PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

March 5, 2023

SPARTAN STRONG

Saturday night, February 13, 2023, three students were killed and another five wounded at a mass shooting on the campus of Michigan State University.  Classes were suspended for a week.  Many students went home.  The men’s home basketball game against Minnesota and the women’s away basketball game against Purdue both scheduled for February 15 were first postponed and then canceled.

The first home game the Michigan State men played following the shooting was on Tuesday, February 21 against Indiana University.  Before the game public-address announcer Jeremy Sampson said, “Spartan family last week our campus community suffered an unexpected act of violence.  Our hearts are broken for their families and for our community.  The Michigan State community has always been an unwavering one, and with no uncertainty will continue to be Spartan Strong, as we navigate the impact of our loss.”

The Hoosier team wore black Adidas-branded t-shirts and hoodies reading “Spartan Strong” across the breast with the Michigan State Spartan logo and Indiana’s trident IU side by side.  Parents of the IU players at the game wore white. At their home game the weekend before, the IU men’s and women’s teams had a moment of silence to show solidarity with the Michigan State community.  All Big Ten teams joined the Hoosiers in remembering the students who were killed and those who were wounded.

In his discussion of the purpose of the law in Galatians the Apostle Paul writes, “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).”  The hymn “In Christ There Is No East or West” (John Oxenham, 1913) puts a modern context on Paul’s words. “In Christ there is no east or west, in him no south or north; but one great fellowship of love throughout the whole wide earth.”

                Following the shooting at Michigan State on February 13th there were no longer Spartans and Gophers, Boilermakers and Spartans, Spartans and Hoosiers but for a brief moment in time we were all Spartans, Spartan Strong, as we mourned the loss of young people with all of their lives before them.  Our common humanity brought us together as a part of the Big Ten Community.

When the two teams lined up for the playing of the National Anthem before the start of a home Purdue women’s basketball game, the Purdue team faced toward the center before turning toward the American flag.  This is so that they can watch a video on the center screen.  The focus of the video is the qualities that are needed to combat the conflict we see in our world today.  It concludes by saying what we all need is more love.  Those of us who are watching are invited to focus on what brings us together rather than what separates us. I always enjoy watching the visiting team as they become aware of the video.  By the end almost all of them are giving it their attention and they join in the applause at the end.

In response to the shooting on February 13 what we saw and were a part of was a fellowship of love.  In his letter to the Romans Paul says about love. Love “bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things (I Corinthians 13:7).”  These past few weeks the Michigan State community has been surrounded with love so that they might endure the tragic loss of three young lives and the wounding of five others.  The whole Big Ten community stands with the Michigan State community and says we are “Spartan Strong.”