What If?

What if…we started each day with the prayer and thought, “Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God”?

What if…we really let go of our sins and remembered them no more – just like God after we confess them?

What if…we gave faith and/or a loved one a second chance?

What if…we replaced all our judgmental thoughts with ones of grace?

What if…we loved others fearlessly and without a thought to the cost or getting hurt?

What if…we put Jesus first in everything we did?

What if…we looked for the grace in everyone?

What if…we took time everyday to be with God in His Word, silence and prayer?

What if…we were vessels of healing and encouragement each day?

What if…we spoke the truth in love to one another?

What if…we were as devoted to God as we are to our favorite sports team or hobby?

What if…we asked for and granted real forgiveness?

What if…we reached out to people that no one else remembered or cared about?

What if…we put God’s will before our will in all that we do?

What if…we believed without a doubt that we were loved for who we are by God and others?

What if…we added some risk to our faith?

What if…we tore down some idols in our lives and replaced them with the only One who can give life?

What if…we stopped trying to save ourselves?

What if…we honored the less honorable and thought of the weakest ones as indispensable?

What if…we started following God as a “thank you” because He has accepted us through His Son instead of what many of us do – obeying so that we can be accepted.

What if…we worshipped God in Spirit and Truth?

What if…we lived our lives as evidence of God’s love and what He has done for us?

What if…we stopped focusing so much on ourselves and what we want?

What if…we went to church to give our whole selves?

What if…we went on a mission trip or signed up to serve others in a way that we never have before?

What if…we returned to the Lord with our whole heart?

What if…we stopped all of our “busyness” and sat at His feet?

What if…we overflowed with passion for sharing the love of Christ with others?

What if…we were more concerned with faithfulness than success?

What if…we gave of our time, talent and money sacrificially and with the cross in mind?

What if…we took our faith from private to public?

What if…we called out to God and to brothers and sisters when we needed help?

What if…we sold all our possessions and gave them to the poor?

What if…we did this in remembrance of Him?

What if…we didn’t cross the finish line until we could cross it together?

What if…we became a disciple and discipled another?

What if…we loved one another as Christ has loved us?

What if…we embraced and participated with God in making all things new?

What if…we prayed without ceasing?

What if…we lived and served together as with one heart and soul?

What if…we let the Holy Spirit lead?

What if…we showed our love for one another in addition to telling?

What if…we relied on God’s strength above our own?

What if…we applied the same measure to ourselves as we apply to others?

What if…we celebrated like crazy when someone who was once lost comes back to God?

What if…we did all of these things and the Kingdom of God was more visible for the world, for the community and for us to see?

What if…

Amen.

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Saving Lives

Saving Lives 

There is this song on the radio, sometimes on Christian radio stations too, called “How to Save a Life” by The Fray. It has been out for a while, but even now when I hear it, I listen. It is a pretty good song, but the real reason why I listen is the title and lyric, “And I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known how to save a life.”  

According to a band related website, the song was inspired by the lead singer’s experience as a mentor at a camp for troubled teens. One (click on the word video to watch it) video for the song shows the band performing the song as many “regular” people with different emotions are shown; some happy, some sad, mixed in with numbered steps (of how to save a life), “have faith,” “believe,” “let go,” “remember,” and “say goodbye.”  

I never worked at a camp like that, but already when I was in high school I was watching out for friends and adults even who were troubled by many things. And it was also at that time that I began to dream of saving lives – that continues to this day. 

But what does that mean – saving lives? How does one save a life? From what are people saved? What does it look like? I know for a while, before I conceived of saving people in Biblical terms, I always thought of this line from a poem attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson titled, “Success.” The line reads, “To know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” I always liked that. I wanted to be that person for people.  

The song goes, “And I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known how to save a life.” I have stayed up at night praying and listening to people, trying to save them. I know for me it comes from a good place – a place of care and compassion. For me “saving” someone has meant being an instrument of hope in the midst of despair; never quitting on someone even when they wanted to (or when I sometimes didn’t want to keep trying); helping to make sense of senseless things; being proof of God and his love and grace in Jesus Christ; showing someone that they had value in this world when all else said otherwise.    

How many times though have I wished that I could save a life? Maybe I have and I don’t know it. I know that I have prayed many times for God to use me in that way. My Dad used to be an EMT and I know he has saved many lives through CPR. What an amazing thing. 

I fully confess there is something egotistical about thinking this way. Believe me, I have thought of that. Who am I to think that I can save others? Well, it’s not exactly like that. Don’t I need saving too? Yes, please! And in fact I can think of a bunch of times that I have been saved. Starting with God bringing me to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. But also my mother Kate deciding to keep me safe in her womb even though she wasn’t married and was under pressure to get an abortion. Another “save” was when a cute, very joyful girl named Jennifer at college who became my best friend and wife and has shown me unconditional love. Or a little boy named Brian who I literally dreamed of before he was born and whose birth opened me up to my life’s purpose and saved me from what would have been a miserable career track. 

The thing is that God was working through all of those “saves” because in fact, God is the only one who can do the saving – eternally and in the living of our lives. And I guess what I am trying to do is use the gift of salvation and of abundant life that I have been given and extend it to others. Out of my brokenness, out of all that I have been given as well as lost, I reach out with a healing hand to others.   

You see, as glorious as “saving lives” sounds, there is a cost – a cost mere mortals like you and me aren’t often willing to pay. The Jesus model of saving involves losing a life to save a life. He lost his life to save ours. His was no ordinary life though. It was the fact that He was the Son of God, and that He gave His innocent, sinless life that opened the door for eternal salvation and redeemed us. This is why we think of military, fire and police personnel with such regard, because they are willing to put their lives on the line for others at a great cost and sometimes at the ultimate cost. 

And then there are these words of Jesus, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and the gospel will save it (Mark 8:35).” Even to have the abundant life God promises, we have to lose ourselves in order to be saved from ourselves by Christ. Do you know what I mean?  

“And I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known how to save a life.” How to save a life? It starts with a willingness to lose ourselves – our pride, our ego, our self-sufficiency, our sinfulness – in Christ. And then through that, it takes a willingness to lose and sacrifice ourselves on behalf of someone else – for no other reason than love, pure love, agape love – not because we get something out of it. Saving a life, truly saving a life, means losing a life or parts of a life. 

Amen.  

Discussion Questions

1. Are there people in your life that you would love to save or have saved? What can be done for them?
2. How do you define “saving a life?” What does it look like?
3. Can you think of some times in your life when you sacrificed for someone else? What was the experience of that?
4.  Have you let Jesus save you yet? Or are you still trying to save yourself? If you want to, email or call me so we can talk about what that means.

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