Who Would You Die For? - Romans 5:6-11
It’s Memorial Day
Weekend. While summer is still
technically still 27 days away, this weekend for many marks the kickoff of the
summer season. It is the weekend where
many make their first venture to the beach or the lake. It is the weekend where many families may
take the first swim in their pool for the year or fire up the grill for the
first time. It is a weekend of fun in
the sun for so many. Yet, for others it
is not. It is a weekend that for some
families is a time of remembering and grief.
It is a weekend where children, spouses, parents, and friends remember
those who have lost their lives in the line of service to their country. We paused earlier in our service this morning
to remember those who gave their lives in military conflict—why, because they
put their lives on the line for family, friends, and nation.
Yet, a person doesn’t
have to be in service in order to give their lives for someone else. Many of us read stories earlier this month of
the “Bud” Wassom who died protecting his five year old daughter from the
tornado that hit Arkansas. That same
week in Alabama a 34 year old man offered up his life in an attempt to protect
his mom from a storm. Men willing to die
in an attempt to protect their family.
It doesn’t stop with
family, though. National news covered
the story of John Servati, a University of Alabama swimmer who died protecting
his girlfriend from the same series of storms.
Dying for someone you love.
However, I don’t want to
overlook the women as folks who give up their lives. There are plenty of stories through the years
of mom’s offering up their lives in order to protect their children. There was the story of a mom, who thankfully
survived, who threw herself in the path of five pit bulls that were attacking,
in order to protect her daughter.
Putting her life on the line for family.
Sacrifices go beyond
family, though, as we remember that a year and a half ago several women died
trying to protect the children under their care at Sandy Hook Elementary. Along those same lines, a few weeks ago
almost a dozen teachers died trying to save their students on the Korean ferry
that sunk. These heroic teachers dying for
those in their care.
Jesus has said, “No one
has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”[i] Some of us might add to that, “lay down one’s
life for one’s friends or one’s family.”
How many of us can think of someone we would willing lay down our lives
to protect or save? Who would we be willing to take a bullet for? Throw ourselves on top off to form a barrier
between them and a tornado? Stand in the
gap between them and attacking animals?
Give up one’s space on a lifeboat? Our spouse? Our children or grandchildren? Our parents? A girlfriend or boyfriend? A
best friend? A good friend? An acquaintance? Where does unselfish self-sacrifice end and
self-preservation kick in because we don’t think the relationship is worth
it? If we’ve said yes that we would be
willing to die for all of those others, then what about a stranger, would we be
willing to die for a stranger—to protect the or save them? Yes?
Maybe? No?
Still willing? Let me ramp things up a bit. Would you die for the man who cut you off on
the interstate last week? Would you die
for the woman who had acted like your best friend, but then told everyone in
the community that you couldn’t be trusted, causing everyone to avoid you and
steer clear of you? Would you die for
the bully that constantly put you down in school, making fun of your clothes,
pushing you around, calling you names, and undercutting every effort to make a
friend? Would you die for someone whose
political ideology is diametrically opposed to your own? Would you die for an illegal alien? Would you die for the drug dealer on the
corner, the recently released child molester, the death row inmate that killed
your neighbor? Would you die for a
member of the Klan or the Taliban? Would
you die for your enemy?
“Preacher, you’ve gone
entirely too far now…you’ve got to be crazy…there’s no one in their right mind
who would die for their enemy.”
Hear God’s Word to us
from Romans once more, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ
died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely
will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone
might actually dare to die. But God
proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for
us…For if while were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of
his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, we will be saved by his
life.”
Hear that again. “…Christ died for the ungodly…God proves his
love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us…while we
were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son….”
Does that stop you in
your tracks the same way it does me?
Does it at least give you pause to think?
Think of the words of
Jesus in light of this passage.
“But I say to you that
listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse
you, pray for those who abuse you.”[ii]
Love your enemies…God
proves His love for us…Christ died for us…while we were enemies…
“Preacher, you’ve got to
be kidding, right? You have completely
lost it. There is no way that God would
expect that of us.”
Consider these words of
Jesus, “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let
them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will
lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”[iii]
I’m afraid that too often
we think that taking up our cross means picking up that little piece of pretty
gold or silver jewelry and hanging it from our ears or around our necks,
wrists, or ankles. And while I’m not
saying that it is wrong to wear a cross as a means of publically declaring our
allegiance to Christ, I am saying that Christ means something far more when He
says to take up our crosses and follow Him.
It means being willing to follow Jesus all the way up Golgotha…it means
being willing to die for the sake of sharing the love of God through Christ
with those around us.
So what does this look
like?
Does it mean that we
should walk up to the bully at school or work and say, what do you have in
store for me today? Does it mean that we
should let an abusive spouse or parent just keep hitting us over and over? Does it mean a soldier should step out from
behind cover and let an enemy combatant just shoot him?
Absolutely not!!!
So again, I ask, what
does it look like?
It looks like dying to
our possessions. It looks like the man
who on his way to a meeting took off his shoes and gave them to a homeless man
on the streets of Lynchburg Va who was shoeless. It looks like brining an extra lunch to offer
the bully at school realizing their anger comes out of being hungry and being
too proud to eat a free lunch.
It looks like dying to
our watches and calendars. It looks like
leaving work and trying to get home in time to fix and eat supper and kick back
to watch the American Idol Finale, but allowing the undocumented foreigner who
walked up to you as you were getting in the car to ask a question that turns
into hours spent on a park bench helping them sort out their lives.
It looks like dying to
our pride. It looks like inviting a
homeless man who just walked in the restaurant to sit with you as you share a
meal and conversation together. It looks
the mother visiting the young man in prison who shot her son and embracing him with
forgiveness.
It looks like literally
putting your life in the balance. It
looks like providing a place to stay for a woman looking to escape an abusive
relationship, knowing that her boyfriend is known for his violence and carrying
a gun. It looks like serving as a missionary
in a nation known to be anti-Christian or a gang-run inner-city community. It looks like Sargent Richard Kirkland of the
Confederate Army outside of Fredericksburg Va in December of 1862. After a massive battle on December 13th,
leaving over 3000 dead and many others in the field between the two forces
injured, the following scene took place:
As dawn broke the following morning,
December 14, one Confederate soldier could take the weeping of the dying no
longer. Sergeant Richard Kirkland of the 2nd South Carolina Infantry, a
19-year-old soldier, was grieved at the suffering of the Union wounded, and
asked for permission to aid the enemy. His commanding officer was reluctant to
let Kirkland climb the stone wall and descend into the field among the
devastation where he would be an easy target for Federal sharpshooters.
Finally, permission was granted, provided he not carry a weapon—if he was shot
and killed, the weapon would be lost—and that he not carry a flag of truce. Accepting
these conditions, the brave young man collected a number of canteens from his
fellow soldiers, and scrambled over the wall.
Expecting a shot from the Union line
that would take Kirkland’s life, the Confederates watched expectantly as the
sergeant made his way toward a grievously injured northern soldier. The Union
soldiers watched, but did not fire, as the Confederate soldier knelt down
alongside the wounded man, gently cradled his head, and lifted a canteen to his
parched lips.
The Union line broke into a loud
cheer at this incredible act of charity on the part of Kirkland. The cheering
subsided, and the Federal forces watched in silent awe as Kirkland went from
wounded soldier to wounded soldier, bringing what little comfort he could to
these dying men. For an hour and a half, he gave life to the words of Christ…[iv]
So on this Memorial Day
weekend where we remember those who have given their lives for others…again, I
ask each of us, “who would we be willing to die for” as we take up our cross
and follow the one who died for us while we were yet His enemies.
In the Name of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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