Worship Service Celebrated The Believer’s Hope In Jesus’ Promises
“Thank God there is always hope in Jesus,” said Christian artist Phil Wickham between songs at the Sunday, September 21, memorial service for Charlie Kirk. “Jesus said in this world you will experience suffering, He said in this world you will experience tribulation, but ‘take heart, I have overcome the world.’”
Phil said this, paraphrasing Jesus’ words from John 16:32-33, in light of the Gospel message that Charlie Kirk brought with him throughout his life. As founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative student organization, the Turning Point USA Faith division was established by Charlie to unify the Church on primary doctrine and spread the Gospel to students.
“Building a Legacy: Remembering Charlie Kirk,” the memorial service for Charlie Kirk, was held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, with approximately 90,000 attendees honoring the memory of the 31-year-old conservative who was killed while addressing students at Utah Valley University on September 10.
Before the likes of Erika Kirk, wife to the late Charlie and mother to their two young children; President Donald Trump; Vice President JD Vance; and many others took the stage, there was a worship service led by several prominent names in Christian music.
Among them were Phil Wickham, Brandon Lake, Chris Tomlin, Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe Carnes, and Elevation Worship’s Tiffany Hudson.
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During the worship set, which lasted about two hours, there were many powerful moments.
Phil and Brandon, who had just concluded a summer tour together, were joined on stage by Cody, Kari Jobe, and Tiffany, and they led worship for the thousands in attendance.
However, there was one moment which stood out for its power as the attendees all sang in unison with no musical accompaniment.
While many were there to hear from the president and Charlie’s widow, Brandon called everyone’s attention to Christ, asking that the attendees sing the chorus to his song “Gratitude” a cappella.
With hands raised, thousands sang the following:
“So I throw up my hands and praise You again and again, ’cause all that I have is a hallelujah, hallelujah. And I know it’s not much, but I’ve nothing else fit for a King, except for a heart singing hallelujah, hallelujah.”
Watch the incredible moment with thousands singing to Christ, here:
The worship service began with Phil, Brandon, and Cody each taking the lead on a verse from the hymn “How Great Thou Art.”
Brandon then led attendees in singing Elevation Worship’s “Graves Into Gardens,” which was followed by Cody leading the crowd in singing his “Firm Foundation (He Won’t).”
Later on, Kari Jobe sang “Revelation Song,” and Phil and Tiffany took the lead singing “I Speak Jesus.” Other songs sung included Phil’s “Battle Belongs” and Elevation Worship’s “O Come to the Altar.”
Just over 40 minutes into the worship set, Phil and Brandon took a moment to speak on the Gospel message, with Brandon saying:
“As we lift up the name of Jesus, declaring that we trust in this God, I’m believing that many of us, our eyes are going to be turned to this amazing savior, and maybe today’s your day, you need to start a relationship with Jesus. Today can be that day. I can’t think of a better place to draw a line in the sand and say, ‘You know what? I’m gonna put my faith and my hope and my trust in this God, and I can recognize that God is doing something around the globe, in our nation, and I want to be a part of it ‘cause the Spirit of God is on the move.”
Brandon added, “It starts with saying ‘yes’ to Jesus yourself, and today you can do it. I believe that Jesus died for my sins, and I believe that God raised Him up from the dead, and then in Romans it says if you believe that, if you confess that, you will be saved.”
The verse Brandon was referring to is Romans 10:9, which reads, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Brandon was one of many Christian artists who have spoken out about the killing of Charlie Kirk, saying in a video posted on September 11 that he and his wife had been praying for Charlie’s family and were “sick to [their] stomachs.”
He went on to say, “[Charlie Kirk] was representing Christ in a way that he felt called to represent Christ, and he lost his life over it.”
Watch Brandon speak on the renewed confidence he feels in sharing about Jesus in light of the death of Charlie Kirk, here:
Notably, many in the audience had signs which had a drawing of Charlie Kirk on them. Beside this drawing, the verse Isaiah 6:8 was written, which reads, “Here I am, Lord. Send me.”
Near the end of the worship set, Phil spoke on the believer’s hope — that blessed assurance that has kept the Christian faith strong for 2,000 years.
“When you open up to the last chapters of the Bible, we have a picture of the end of the story where Jesus, the King of Kings, is on the throne,” Phil said, before reciting the message of hope for the believer in Revelation 21. “It says, ‘He said with a loud voice … He will wipe every tear from every eye, there will be no more mourning or crying or death or sorrow or pain, for the old order of things will be passed away, and it says, ‘He who is seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.”
He added, “There is always hope in Jesus, and I believe that’s not just a future promise, but it’s a promise right now.”
As the memorial service formally began, Chris Tomlin took to the stage, singing “Holy Forever.”
Watch the full worship set, here:
Trump Hears Cody Carnes Read From The Bible
Then, before Trump and others spoke on stage, worship resumed, with Phil, Brandon, Cody, Kari Jobe, and Tiffany joining Chris Tomlin on stage to sing “The Blessing,” which Cody introduced as being one of Charlie Kirk’s favorite songs.
This began with Cody preparing to read from the Bible, with the arrival of Trump in the stadium occurring just as he was about to read.
The audience chanted USA, with Trump being seen pumping his fist and mouthing, “Fight,” alluding to the moment he was shot in 2024 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Bringing the audience back in, Cody read from John 1.
Watch Cody Carnes read from the Bible as Trump arrives at the memorial service for Charlie Kirk, here:
Related: Erika Kirk Shares Moving Tribute Commemorating Charlie’s First “Week In Heaven”