On February 29 of this year, Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Edward C. Byers Jr. was awarded our military’s highest honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor, having already been awarded the Bronze Start five times for bravery and the purple heart twice for being wounded in combat. Here is just a portion of the text of his commendation:
Chief Byers, completely aware of the imminent threat, fearlessly rushed into the room and engaged an enemy guard aiming an AK-47 at him. He then tackled another adult male who had darted towards the corner of the room. During the ensuing hand-to-hand struggle, Chief Byers confirmed the man was not the hostage and engaged him. As other rescue team members called out to the hostage, Chief Byers heard a voice respond in English and raced toward it. He jumped atop the American hostage and shielded him from the high volume of fire within the small room. While covering the hostage with his body, Chief Byers immobilized another guard with his bare hands, and restrained the guard . . .His bold and decisive actions under fire saved the lives of the hostage and several of his teammates. By his undaunted courage, intrepid fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of near certain death, Chief Petty Officer Byers reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
During most of the hours of our days there is little opportunity to be either a coward or a hero. We eat our meals, do our work, chat with friends and passing strangers. Nothing significant really happens. John Eldridge says that every man is haunted by the question, “Do I have what it takes?” We wonder if we would have the courage to stand-up if the need were to arise. I think it is one the reasons action movies and combat video games are so popular with men. it allows us to live vicariously a life our soul tell us we could never live.
Rarely in life do we have moments of true courage. Rarely are we called to sacrifice ourselves for something that could truly cost us.
At the cross, we are confronted. The cross is the place of our redemption but it is also the place of our undoing. At the cross, we are confronted with the question “Do you have the courage to be changed?”
At the cross, all are welcomed as they are, where they are. But at the cross none are allowed to stay as they are, where they are. Everyone is expected to change. Everyone is presented with the option to change and asked if they have the courage to do so.
On the day of Jesus’ death a man named Joseph of Arimathea was confronted by the cross. He had been a secret follower of Jesus but now he was challenged to come out of the shadows. It is easy to be a follower of Jesus when the crowds are chanting “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” It is quite another to come forward and risk everything for a dead man and lost dream.
Joseph was a prominent man in the community. A wealthy, successful man who had been elected to the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish ruling body. The easiest thing for him to do was to remain in the shadows, no one had to know he had ever hoped in this man. But the cross confronted him to come out. Joseph was needed to take courage and come before Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body. Joseph was needed to take courage bury the body of Jesus in the tomb that had been prepared for Joseph.
There is an irony to this story. Into the place of Joseph’s death he placed the Lord of Life and by doing so Joseph received life. What seemed like a step that stood the chance of costing him everything actually gave him more than he could have hoped for. But first, he had to have the courage to come out of the shadows and allow life to enter his place of death.
Each of us have places of death in our life. Areas of darkness no one is allowed to see. Areas prepared for our death and undoing. Areas we will never voluntarily go. It is to these areas the cross calls us to take courage. Will we have the courage to put the Lord of Life into these places? We know something that Joseph could not have known that day: The impossible promise of resurrection and life, if we will allow Jesus into our place of death.
Will you do it? It will take more courage than you ever thought you had.
Stephen
Giving credit where it is due:
The concept for this series of blog posts and its accompanying sermon series draw from the masterful work, Seven Words to the Cross: A Lenten Study for Adults by J. Ellsworth Kalas.