Self Sacrifice is the Language of Love!

In January, 1982, people around the country who had on their televisions were able to watch “live” an incredibly gratifying series of tense moments mixed right into the midst of some truly horrible circumstances and a very unfair event. On that cold January day, an Air Florida flight took off out of National Airport in Washington, D.C. and only a short twenty seconds later crashed into the ice-covered Potomac River. The news media is always quickly on hand in that part of the world, and it was quite soon that there were live TV shots being given of the terrible crash and the rescue efforts going on. Survivors were stranded in the icy water and slush of the river, right near a bridge. One rescue helicopter was circling over and dropping a lifeline down to people and attempting to hoist them up to the helicopter. 

It was “live” on TV that people were able to watch as an unidentified man reached up and grabbed onto the lifeline and instead of slipping himself in and getting hauled up to safety, he reached over and brought the line to someone that couldn’t grab it themselves. That other person was hauled up and it seemed like forever following the difficult process of getting them out and repositioning the helicopter to drop the line back down to this man to save his life. He was able to grab the rope again, except again he took the time to bring the line over to someone in the icy water that couldn’t grab it. The tension and anxiety was incredible as these survivors waited in the bitter cold waters and the rescue team sent the line back to rescue this man.  On the third, fourth and fifth times the line was sent down he continued to grab the line and find other people and get the life line to them.  When the rope went back for the sixth time, this hero of a survivor had disappeared beneath the water’s surface. The frigid cold of the water had gotten to him.

It took nearly six months to identify this man. The unknown hero, as he was referred to, was Arland D. Williams. People were truly moved by this man’s self sacrifice. Even those focused on the self-centered ways in the D.C. area agreed that this man truly was a hero. Today the bridge that is right there next to the whole incident is known as the Arland D. Williams Memorial Bridge.  The self sacrifice involved with Mr. Williams creating a lifeline so that someone else can be saved is at the heart of “Christ like” love. 

Self sacrifice, with the thought and attention on the “other” person. This truly is the “way” of God… it is the “way” that He has given us an example to live by (not focused on self).  And self sacrifice, His self sacrifice, is the “way” that we are “saved” and “made right" with Him.

See, God is the one that reached down and took it upon Himself to make it so that all people, all His children, would be able to be seen as perfect and sinless and able to be in Heaven forever. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, came and faced death himself to make things right.  In knowing that we are not perfect and have sin in us, He did not provide a system in which people could do it themselves.  He didn’t provide us with a really good self-help book and if you’re good and motivated and follow all the right steps “You too can be saved”!!  No, He addressed the problem of our sin Himself… for us!  On His cross.  And He defeated death itself for us… by rising to life.  Now we, through this relationship of faith, ARE able to be seen as perfect, and sinless, and FORGIVEN.

This is the great plan of salvation that Jesus is committed to and personally involved in, as He and some of the disciples are maybe walking along on the way to another town talking one day.  And we have the incident that occurs with Peter.  Peter has seen miracles and heard parables and he has just recently made a bold profession of faith… confessed that Jesus is the Christ… the Son of the Living God… the one that they have been waiting for.  And then Jesus drops this bombshell… 

“From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer, and be killed, and on the third day rise.”

Now wait a minute!!  This part of the whole thing doesn’t seem to make sense.  As a matter of fact, it is getting kind of personal. If something could happen to you then… something could happen to me!  As a matter of fact, this whole thing doesn’t even seem to make sense when you think about it!  So what does Peter do?  He takes Jesus aside; he is going to straighten Him out.  In his mind it doesn’t make sense (this whole idea of Jesus dying for some purpose), so Peter is going to redefine who Jesus is and what should happen. But Jesus is completely committed to this “plan of salvation” and he won’t hear any of it!!!

Losing life… the sacrifice of giving of life for someone else… certainly seems like defeat. That’s what it appeared like to Peter, but it is here that there is real victory. It is through Christ’s self sacrifice that YOU are forgiven!  Instead of making a way to the perfectness of heaven that you might fail in accomplishing, Jesus has “made all things new” himself, through His own self sacrifice.

Jesus speaks of taking up our cross, and that can only be seen and understood within the context of Him knowing and being very aware that He was being asked to take up His Cross and give his life over… for others... that gift came at a great cost.

For you and me, discipleship… following the Lord… taking up our cross… comes at the cost of a focus in life that is not on ME!  Not being asked to give over the gift of life itself, but being asked to serve God through His church, to serve God’s people through the gifts and abilities that we have been given. Serving involves a “not on me” focus.  It involves thinking and following the thoughts and will of Christ with our precious moments in life.

Self sacrifice is the language of love.  Through Jesus' self sacrifice, you have the gift of eternal life.  Count on that gift!  Know that it is real and true!  Reflect that gift with the choices that you make… the things that come out of your mouth… and use your days confident and assured that His self sacrifice has brought you a home in heaven forever!