Hello, this post is slightly later than I planned to post, but its been a busy and hectic time. Today I lead a meeting and spoke on the theme of Sacrifice. So if you watch the video above from the film Saving Private Ryan and then you can have a read of my sermon below based on the clip.
The film
Saving Private Ryan was released in 1998, at its time of release it was best known
for its graphic depiction of the D Day landings in the 2nd world war.
That's
certainly the reason I watched it initially all those years ago. Yet as I got a
bit older and a bit less impressed with films being all about blood and gore I
came to realise there is a much deeper story line. So for those who have not
seen it here is a quick outline of the plot.
Just after
the D-Day landings it is discovered that three siblings have all been killed,
there is however one remaining brother still out fighting in Normandy. However
due to the lack of communications at the time it is unsure if he is alive or
not. It is decided that every attempt to get this man, Private Ryan back to his
family should be made as a high priority.
So a team of
soldiers is sent out into Normandy to try and reach him and bring him back to
the safe area so he could return home.
This team is
lead by an army Captain played by Tom Hanks. The team track down and find
private Ryan in full health, however the town his unit is in is about to come
under a major attack by the German army. Ryan is unwilling to leave his unit
until this attack is over. So they all stay to defend the town from the attack.
Just at the
end of the attack we see that the Captain played by Tom Hanks is mortally
wounded and dies. Just before he dies he tells Ryan to "earn this"
commissioning the young solider to earn the life that has just been given for
him.
That is
where our video started. As Private Ryan stared down at the man who had given
his life so that he may be saved. The film then skips forward fifty years to
show a now old Ryan visiting the grave of the Captain with his family.
For most of
us it is hard to imagine how Ryan actually feels. Most of us can only imagine
what it feels like to literally owe our lives to one man who gave up his own
life so that we could continue to live.
It's clear
that Ryan feels guilty, how come he was the one who was left to live. What did
he do to deserve someone else dying for him? How come the captain died and has
no family, when Ryan is able to stand there with his children and grand
children?
It's also
clear that Ryan feels he had a responsibility to live in a way that makes the
captains sacrifice worthwhile. This guilty feeling must have weighed heavy on
his heart and mind all of his adult life. as we can see by him begging his wife
to tell him he has been a good man.
But what has
all this got to do with us sitting here and now in an army meeting? Apart from
perhaps letting you know I get a little bit too excited about war films?
Like Ryan we
have had someone die for us. As we approach Easter we all know and realise
Jesus did on the cross for our sins so we can be forgiven.
In our Bible
reading earlier we read in verse 16 that
" God so loved the world that he
gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but
have eternal life."
Literally by his sacrifice Jesus paved the way for us to have eternal
life. His sacrifice on the cross means that we can be saved. It means that our
sins can be forgiven no matter what we have done.
Now I think that's pretty amazing, that due to this sacrifice our sins
can be forgiven even a someone who has done so many bad things like I have can
have that all forgiven and still go to heaven.
This is
further re enforced in verse 18
"Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not
believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of
God’s one and only Son."
Through Jesus' sacrifice we can be re united with God and receive
eternal life. This has massive effects and I told you earlier how accepting
Jesus into my life has majorly changed it for the better.
But in the
film we saw how much guilt Ryan felt that someone had died so that he might
live. And the captain left Ryan with no doubts that he had died for him and
expected him to earn his sacrifice.
So do we
need to feel guilt because Jesus died on the cross for us?
I would say
no, Jesus chose to die so that we might live. He decided that we were worth
dying for. He decided that you and me and everyone else in the world was worth
dying for.
We need feel
no guilt for this sacrifice because it's all part of God's grace. God wants us
all to be reunited. And since sin first entered the world God has wanted to
join back with us in unity and love.
And God did
this through his Son Jesus.
But really
if we do believe that we have been saved by this sacrifice it should change how
we feel. We need not feel guilt, and we have no need to earn Gods forgiveness.
It has already been freely given.
But I do
think that when we know we have received this forgiveness it massively changes
out outlook on life and how we act. We read In Pauls letter to the Ephesians.
Eph
4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to
live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
Eph 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing
with one another in love.
We have been given this
free gift and as a result we should act accordingly. We should reflect Christ's
sacrifice in the way we live our life. The way we treat others should imitate
the massive sacrifice that Jesus made for us.
When we realize that we are
saved through Jesus' sacrifice and that it’s a free gift and we begin to act
like saved people then the changes we can see in our lives and our
relationships can be amazing.
Often in the forces you
have to make the decision who you would fight with and fight for. Some people
you fight alongside of, you know you would give your life for. It may sound
harsh to say, but there are others you would not run out into oncoming fire to
protect.
But Jesus didn’t decide who
he was willing to die for and who he was not. He died for everyone in the
world. None of us are perfect and each of us have sinned, yet Jesus died for
every single one of us so that we could all be forgiven.
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