After describing how embers ignited the top of the steeple, Hughes quipped, "We’ve always talked about the church being a beacon of light on the hill and last Sunday, it really was." 

Firestorms have destroyed more than 2,000 homes in Southern California since last Sunday, ravaging more than 500,000 acres. More than a half-million people were forced to evacuate from their communities. Seven deaths have been tallied thus far.

Hughes reflected on how much change a week has brought: “One week ago, we had a church home. We knew where we were located. Today, we are kind of like the Israelites wandering through the wilderness. One week ago, the media didn’t know who I was or care about what I had to say. This week, I have given dozens of interviews, even to German media outlets.”

As church members wrestle with the question of why God would allow their building to burn down, Hughes pointed them to the “rock of Scripture and Jesus Christ” and to the death of Lazarus, found in John 11. “Jesus let His friend die so that something greater could take place.

”What does this say to us here at Malibu Presbyterian Church?” Hughes asked. “I think it’s the realization that sometimes God allows bad things to happen to people He loves. Sometimes God allows hardships and troubles to come upon people He loves. But take heart. Be courageous. God is allowing us to suffer a little bit so that we might bear witness to the power and resurrection of Jesus Christ, so that we might proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Lord of life as the nation’s eyes are upon this church.”

As Hughes prepared to conclude his sermon, he pointed to the ash-covered shoes that he wore: “These are ashes from the church. After today, I will box these shoes up and not wear them until we meet again in our new church facility. Then I will stand up and say, ‘It is through these ashes that we rise up. We did not fall because of these ashes. We still proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.’”

Out of the ashes of the church, said Hughes again, “God will bring us to a new place that we might glorify Him. We will not let our light be dimmed. We will not give up. We will rise up. This fire was for God’s glory. Jesus is saying, ‘I am waiting to do something new in Malibu. You want to see a church on fire? I’ll show you a real church on fire.’”