Tuesday, May 12, 1998
Tuesday, May 12, 1998
They are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through
faith. (Romans 3:24-25
NRSV)
In a culture saturated with concern about things and getting more is there any room left for
talking about sacrifice--of laying down one's life for another?
I remember a story about a thirty-nine-year-old bachelor suffering from acute aplastic anemia-
-a failure of the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. His prognosis was almost certain death
within six months unless he received a transplant of compatible bone marrow. With such a
transplant, he had a good chance for a complete recovery.
Because the likelihood of finding a compatible donor was about one in sixty thousand, McFall
solicited the aid of his relatives. A first cousin was tested and proved to be a perfect match. The
cousin, however, refused to go through with the transplant even though there was no danger to
himself. McFall sued to compel his cooperation, but the court ruled against him. Even though they
agreed that his cousin's refusal was morally reprehensible, he could not be forced to help. The
young man died three weeks after the court's ruling.
Thankfully, this was an isolated case, but what happens to a society that worships at the altar of
self? Fortunately we have a divine example to guide our lives. Christ emptied himself in our
behalf. He took upon himself the sufferings of us all. Can we live only for ourselves in the light of
his example? It is significant because of what it says about sacrifice.
Prayer: God of all things, help me to learn about sacrifice, especially the sacrifice of Jesus
on the cross. Amen.
Ronald Newhouse, Texas, USA