Joel Osteen preached about living without fear during his first Sunday service at Lakewood Church since last week's mass shooting that left a child in critical condition and a man injured.
Officials said the suspect in the shooting, identified as 36-year-old Genes Yvonne Moreno, entered the church with her 7-year-old son on Feb. 11 and began shooting. Her son suffered a head injury in the incident and was left in critical condition. A 57-year-old man was injured but has since been released from the hospital.
Osteen took to the stage during the church's 8:30 a.m. service and greeted the packed auditorium. He began with a prayer.
“Lord, we remember your faithfulness especially this week, Lord, what you have done for us,” Osteen said. “We don't take it for granted. Your angels were watching over each of us.”
Osteen prayed for the 7-year-old boy, whom he named Samuel, and asked God to “show him mercy.”
Osteen also wept and prayed for the shooter and his family.
“Lord, please heal the wounds of that family,” he said.
“I never thought something like this would happen,” Osteen said. As she was walking to her office after a meeting, she said she saw people who said there had been “some sort of incident” at the church.
After returning to his office, he received a text message from Houston Police Chief Troy Finner asking if he was okay.
“And I texted back saying, 'I'm fine, but I don't know what's going on,'” Osteen said, adding that the church is fortunate to have law enforcement.
“It was traumatic for a lot of people who were here, and also for people who weren't here, because this is our church and this is what God has given us.” said Osteen. “For someone to come in and kind of, I don't mean, violate and do something crazy, but you know what? Like we sing in all these songs, we trust God and I am.”
Osteen also paid tribute to the church's security team in his remarks, calling them “heroes.”
He cried and instructed everyone to hold hands and pray.
“Lord, we thank you again for your efforts. We take nothing for granted, Lord, this Sunday could have been a different story.” He said.
During the service, Osteen preached about the definition of the moment a person decides to live in fear.
“That’s where we are in Lakewood,” Osteen said. “This troubled woman came along and she tried to cause harm. This is a critical moment. The church could balk and say, “It's dangerous, so let's hide the life.'' Ignore the radar. But now is the time to shine brighter than ever, to share more hope, to dig deeper and say, “We will not be afraid, for our God is stronger and our God is greater.” . ”
At the 11 a.m. service, Houston Mayor John Whitmire and Police Chief Finner joined Osteen on stage.
In her speech, Whitmire thanked first responders and said the shooting brought the community together.
“You know, one never doubts God's will, but certainly after last week's tragedy, God has the power to bring us together to show how united our city is. It had a purpose,” Whitmire said.
Finner said police will release video of the incident in the coming days, adding that it shows the heroic actions of first responders.
“When God places men and women to protect people, that's what happened last Sunday,” he said.
Finner said that when he first got the call about the shooting at Lakewood Church, he knew “this was real.”
“And I was trying to gather with my stuff, so I said, 'Hey, let me take a break. Let me call to make sure the pastor is OK,'” Finner said. “And I thought about my mother and this entire congregation.”
Finner said the shootout could have been much worse had it not been for the first responders.
“In almost 34 years, I've seen a lot of things. If that person had gone into the sanctuary, it would have been a mass,” he said.
Finner also thanked off-duty Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission officers and Houston police officers who were at the church at the time of the shooting.
A motive has not yet been determined, but police say they believe Moreno acted alone. A dispute between Moreno and her ex-husband's family, some of whom are Jewish, may be related to the shooting, Houston police Cmdr. Chris Hassig said at a press conference earlier this week.
An investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
