e-vo for week of February 13

Dearest e-votees-

I hope and pray your time so far in Lent has been blessed.

Peace,
Karl


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Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. 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 still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Romans 5:1-11, NRSV

We talk about people—often soldiers—making the ultimate sacrifice. We talk about one giving up his or her very life on behalf of another. Putting one’s self in harm’s way that another might be spared. When fire fighters rush in to a burning building to rescue another there is no guarantee that they will come back out. When police officers intervene in a domestic dispute to try to ensure the safety of the family there is no guarantee they will get back home safely to their own family. When someone smothers a live grenade with their body so that others might be spared there it is unlikely they will themselves be spared. When we hear stories like this we rightly catch our breath and speak of heroes.

When the tributes are done those connected to the fallen hero still need to go on.

For some they take solace in the greatness of the ones who were saved. Somehow some think it more noble if life is given in defense of the president. Or if many are spared by the sacrifice of the few (you Trekkies might be thinking about Spock making the ultimate sacrifice and his dying words just now). Or some might be thinking United Airlines flight 93 (the plane in 9-11 that the passengers recaptured and forced into the ground). We try to make the heroes more heroic. We try to elevate the importance of the victims. We try to oversanitize the biography of the hero. Sometimes we work way too hard bringing sense to things that transcend sense.

But what if the one being saved wasn’t so wonderful? Perhaps the person who was spared from the meth lab fire he caused will continue plying his trade even after the fire fighter is buried. Maybe the one spared by the heroic act will never realize the sacrifice made on his or her behalf. What if the one being saved looks more like us? What if the one being saved looks like a thirsty woman at a well with a sketchy biography? What if the one looks like a headstrong, impulsive fisherman and his partners? Perhaps the ultimate sacrifice becomes even yet more ultimate when the one who is saved is peculiarly unsavory—the Apostle Paul seems to make that case. And the ultimate sacrifice becomes even yet more ultimate when the hero doing the saving is indeed the beloved Son of God.

When the tributes are done those connected to the fallen and risen hero still need to go on. The connection we have to Jesus’ death and resurrection in our baptisms stir us to go on this day.

God, give us eyes to see in every one we encounter—hero, victim, perpetrator, mirror image, everyone—the image of you that dwells so deeply in them. Stir us to live like Jesus did and to take up our crosses and follow. Help us to lay down our lives for your friends. Amen.