Flora First Christian Church - Flora, IN

May 25, 2008

John 15:12-17

In my humble estimation one of Google’s most helpful on-line resources is its search engine for images and pictures. Do you know how to access that? Go to Google on the internet and click on “Images,” then type in the image or picture you desire. Two weeks ago, I typed in the words “Memorial Day” and thousands of pictures came up. One image that came up several times within the first three pages was the United States Marine Corp Monument. The monument is better known as the Iwo Jima Monument in Washington D.C. It is based on one of the most famous journalistic pictures taken during World War II of five Marines and one sailor raising an American flag on the island of Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945. This picture was taken during the campaign to control the island which was the home airfield for Japanese kamikaze pilots. The island of Iwo Jima is located 660 miles from Tokyo. Two of the marines and the sailor depicted on the monument died before they left Iwo Jima. (A picture of this monument is attached to the conclusion of this sermon.)
This monument and the event it represents has been a part of my consciousness for most of my life. I grew up hearing much about this monument because the soldier depicted at the back of this historic flag raising is Franklin D. Sousley who grew up in Hilltop, Kentucky, about 10 miles from my hometown of Flemingsburg. Hilltop is about the size of Cutler and Sousley is buried in Elizaville which is about six miles from Flemingsburg. Franklin Sousley was one of those three soldiers who died before he left Iwo Jima.
When I moved to Seymour, Indiana in 1979 I quickly established a bond with Avis and Jane Ruddick. They said that their son, David, who is a little older than me, could pass for my twin. Avis and I had another bond. On one of the first occasions I met Avis he gave me his business card. It included a picture of the Iwo Jima monument. Why was this monument pictured on his card? Avis was a first hand witness when the American flag was raised on Iwo Jima. Avis was proud to have served his country, but of the horror he saw first-hand he said, “Sam, we don’t live in a perfect world, and evil is real. I saw living nightmares on that island. Man just HAS to find another way to solve his disagreements. What I saw was insane. Oh, the horror!” I’ve never forgotten Avis’ words.
Six years ago I came across the story of John Bradley. John was another man who had a first hand experience of the flag being raised on Iwo Jima. John was the solider depicted in the center of the Iwo Jim monument.
After World War II, Bradley moved back to Antigo, Wisconsin, married his high school sweetheart, and raised a family of eight children. Although John Bradley won the Navy Cross for saving a fellow soldier’s life, he preferred not to talk about the war. He absolutely refused to accept the hero worship that others tried to foist on him. One of the few comments Bradley ever made about the war was to his son James. John Bradley said, “The heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who didn’t come back.”
(James Bradley with Ron Powers, “The Man in the Photograph,” Flags of our Fathers. Reprinted in Reader’s Digest, Nov. 2000, pp. 125-129.)

This holiday weekend is about sacrifices: the sacrifices persons have made for country, for family, for freedom. It has been said that most of us are not generally comfortable with remembering sacrifices. Not only are we confronted with the sacrifices others have made on our behalf; we are also confronted with our response to those sacrifices. The whole idea of anyone making a sacrifice for us, much less dying for us, makes us uneasy. If we confront their sacrifices, then we must feel gratitude and humility, and that forces us to stop and examine our own lives. Why did they do what they did? What cause is worth dying for? And the toughest question: would we be willing to do the same?
It is interesting to see that the concept of heroes come back into fashion since September 11, 2001. Our understanding of heroes changed from athletes and actors with seven digit salaries to persons with salaries less than $50,000 who wear firefighter, police and military uniforms.
What makes a hero? I like this quote by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Daniel Boorstein: “Celebrities are people who make news, but heroes are people who make history.” (Daniel Boorstein, Former Librarian of Congress, Pulitzer Prize winning historian). Cited in Quote, “The Speaker’s Digest,” August 1995, p. 216.)
The qualities of heroism are eternal–self-sacrifice, courage, honor, and duty. In today’s Bible reading, Jesus added another integral ingredient to the understanding of sacrifice, he added the word love.
In these few verses, Jesus gives us a new context for heroism when he said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15: 13)
Two of the words used in the Bible for “love” which comes from the Greek, the original language of the New Testament, are the words phileo and agape. Phileo refers to brotherly love—an affectionate bond between people. Agape refers to unconditional, sacrificial love. It is interesting to note that in all the Biblical commands to love one another, the word phileo is never used. Not once are we commanded to have a brotherly love for one another. But repeatedly, we are commanded to have agape, a sacrificial love for one another.
Pastor William L. Stidger tells the story about a man in his congregation who served in the Navy during World War II. One night, as he ran his transport across the Atlantic, he noticed the white trail of a torpedo coming toward him. His ship was manned by hundreds of soldiers and the potential loss of life would have been devastating. Nearby, another smaller ship had also seen the torpedo coming. The captain of this smaller vessel maneuvered his ship between the transport and the torpedo. The explosion destroyed his ship. All those aboard died.
The man who told this story ended it by saying, “Dr. Stidger, the skipper of that other ship, was my best friend. You know, there is a verse in the Bible, which has special meaning for me now. It is this: ‘Greater love has no one than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.’” (Wayne H. Keller, Emphasis, Nov. /Dec., 1998, pp. 41-42.)
Jesus went on to immediately say, “You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing.” (John 15: 15)
Jesus told his disciples that he does not call them slaves; instead he refers to them as his friends. As a friend, He is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for them.
Jesus did not only choose us for a series of tremendous privileges as His friends. He also called us to be his partners. The slave could never be a partner. A slave was defined in Greek law as a LIVING TOOL. Slaves and servants didn’t get to think, they just did what they were told. Jesus was saying, “You are not my slaves; you are my partners. I have told you everything which God told me.”
In this brief passage, Jesus is giving us a definition for partnership and friendship. Real friendship between two persons involves a certain drawing to each other, a kinship of spirit. This is essential, or else there can be no friendship at all.
Characteristically, Christ puts first a willingness to give himself to others not begrudgingly, not adding up the cost, but eagerly. Jesus says here that a friend is always ready to help; he will give what is necessary, and will give his or her very life if needed to save his friend.
The Greek philosopher Aristotle said, “Friendship seems to lie in the loving rather than in the being love.”
Certainly this definition of friendship overflowed from Jesus’ life and it stated what it took to make us his friends for eternity.
The Cross is the only lasting proof of Christ’s unselfish giving and he held nothing back. His generosity runs into eternity where he is thinking of us and working for us still. Everything Christ has is ours to draw upon. Jesus is saying to us: “It is yours, because it is mine. That is what I mean by friendship.”
The greatest demonstration of agape love for us was Jesus’ willingness to “lay down” his life for us. The Bible makes it very clear that Jesus knew what he was doing when he allowed himself to be crucified. He could have stopped his suffering at any time. His sacrifice for us was a choice, and it stands as the greatest act of love in history. And as Jesus’ followers, we are expected to be willing to do the same for others. This kind of love is not motivated by our emotions and it does not come naturally. It is a radical choice.
What did Jesus really mean when he said “Lay down your life?” The keyword in verse 13 is LIFE. “Greater love has no man than this than he lay down his LIFE for his friends.” Jesus lived for us, and yes, He died for us as well—but the key here is that He lives for us now.
There’s a contemporary phrase that has been coined “timecard Christians.” The man who is given credit for this phrase states that it characterizes people who clock into Christianity when they walk in the door of the church, and then clock out when they leave.
It is not giving our lives or laying down our lives to go to church a couple hours a week and then doing whatever it is we want to do the rest of the week.
Among the thousands of victims who died at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 was a Roman Catholic priest named Father Mychal F. Judge. Father Mychal was a fire department chaplain who, while ministering to the fire fighters working at Ground Zero, was killed by falling debris from the Towers. In Father Mychal’s pocket was a printed prayer that he always carried with him.
It said, “Lord, take me where You want me to go; let me meet who You want me to meet; tell me what You want me to say, and keep me out of Your way.” (Walter Scott’s Personality Parade, Parade magazine, January 6, 2002.)
Living for someone else’s welfare requires realistic actions. These actions involve doing what the other person wants, and putting them before you. It involves self-sacrifice daily, not just once.
In accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we “lay down our life” for Him. We go to Him in prayer and say: “Use me, Lord, use me.” This becomes our living gratitude and gift. Amen!