by Dale Reeves
Story Pastor
Unless you’re from Buffalo Township, in Butler, Pennsylvania, you probably never heard the name Corey Comperatore before this past Sunday. The population of Buffalo Township is just under 8,000 people. Comperatore, a former fire chief for the township, had run into an untold number of blazing fires and had saved countless people’s lives during his career as a firefighter. But, at the age of 50, having just retired from firefighting, Corey died from a stray bullet from the AR rifle of Thomas Matthew Crooks that was intended for former President Donald Trump on Saturday, July 13. The bullet came from a sniper’s perch some 130 yards away from the stage where Trump was speaking at a campaign rally held at the Butler Farm Show.
Corey was one of thousands of people attending the campaign rally, part of Trump’s 2024 reelection effort. Comperatore was a father of two daughters, remembered by friends and neighbors as a “family man who served his community and was quick to help friends in need.”
Man of Faith
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro spoke with Corey’s wife and noted:
“We lost a fellow Pennsylvanian last night. Corey Comperatore was a girl dad. . . . He went to church every Sunday. Corey loved his community, and most especially loved his family. He was an avid supporter of the former President and was so excited to be there with him in the community.”
Comperatore’s sister, Dawn Comperatore Schafer, posted on Facebook:
“He was a hero that shielded his daughters. His wife and girls just lived through the unthinkable and the unimaginable. My baby brother just turned 50 and had so much life left to experience. . . . Hatred has no limits and love has no bounds. Pray for my sister-in-law, nieces, my mother, sister, me, and his nieces and nephews as this feels like a terrible nightmare, but we know it is our painful reality.”
Man of Sacrifice
In the letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul writes,
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church” (Ephesians 5:25-29, ESV).
How did Jesus love the church? He loved it lavishly, passionately, and sacrificially by allowing his body to be sacrificed on a Roman cross for all the sins his bride, the church, would commit.
If you are a married family man, have you ever said the words, “I would throw myself in front of a bullet, and willingly sacrifice my life for my wife and kids if I ever needed to!”? Well, that is exactly what Corey Comperatore did. His daughter Allyson, shared these words:
“Yesterday, time stopped. And when it started again, my family and I started living a real-life nightmare. . . . He was the best dad a girl could ask for. My sister and I never needed for anything. You call, he would answer, and he would do whatever it is you needed. He could talk and make friends with anyone, which he was doing all day yesterday, and loved every minute of it. He was a man of God, loved Jesus fiercely, and also looked after our church and our members as family. [My dad] died a real-life superhero. How quickly he threw my mom and I to the ground. He shielded my body from the bullet that came at us. He loved his family. He truly loved us enough to take a bullet for us.”
The apostle John recorded these incredible words spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:12, 13, NIV).
Shining Our Light in the Darkness
We prayed these words at Christ’s Church last Sunday morning,
“Kyrie Eleison, which we know means, ‘Lord, have mercy.’ We come to you today with broken hearts over our nation. We pray for the candidates in our upcoming election, but we know it is about you most of all. We desperately ask for you to heal our land. . . . We lift up the family of the shooter at the rally yesterday. We lift up the family of the man who died. We lift up the family of former President Trump, President Biden, and all of our leaders because you call us to pray for them. We implore you as a church and as individuals to teach us how to be a voice of light in some very dark places today. Help us not to jump on the bandwagon of blame and judgment, but rather of healing and forgiveness. Break our hearts with the things that break your heart, guard our lips, guard our hearts, help us to be a positive influence in a world in desperate need of you.”
If you missed my message on how we need to speak the words, “I Forgive You,” last Sunday, you can see it here.
Former senior minister of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, Bob Russell, shared these compelling words this past Sunday night:
“The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump underscores the current ferocity of the political and ideological divide in our nation. . . . Our nation is on shaky ground, not because of a polarizing political candidate, but because we have forsaken God and his Word. We need to humble ourselves and pray for the light of Christ to shine brightly in our country. Only God can heal our deep wounds. . . . In these volatile times, when many lose their composure, Christians must not lose theirs. Instead, we should model behavior that communicates our ultimate hope lies in Jesus Christ.”
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8, NIV).
“Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people” (Philippians 2:15, NLT).