Rescue

I have this nightmare… I’m riding my bike on the AIDS/Lifecycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles… Everyone has passed me and I am all-alone.  There is this huge hill.  I aggressively begin my ascent only to discover that both my tires are flat, and my chain got disengaged from the gears.  I am left all alone and no one knows I’m missing… I pull my Cannondale over to the side of the road, drink the last bit of water and quietly wait for death…

Of course this could never happen.  Each of us has a number, (mine is 3274), so all of us are accounted for.  There is supposedly a rescue bus that picks up riders that are in some sort of trouble or has simply run out of “physical gas.”  The motto for this ride and all the formal training rides is “No one left behind.”   Well, that gives me a great deal of comfort.  The fact that the safety net is always there, the rescue bus is at my disposal gives me a great sense of comfort.

Last weekend during the weekly Saturday ride, we realized one of new good friends, Pash, fell far behind.  It was not until we were at one of the water break stops when we realized he was missing. Cameron rode back to find him.  Pash had a flat tire.  Cameron helped him fix it and together they came to stop where Bridge (another rider) and I were waiting, the other riders having continued on ahead.  Pash was incredulous that Cameron went to find him and also that Bridge and I remained behind waited for Cameron and him to catch up. The four of us concluded the ride together–we developed a special bond from this too.

All of us have rescue stories, don’t we.  We have all experienced a time, too, where we have been saved in some way.  It has happened to all of us.  We have all been rescued from something or by some one at a time in our lives.  And here is the neat part… we will never forget it.  I’ll bet too, on the other hand there have been times where all of us have lent the helping hand and thereby rescued some one else.  It gives us a good feeling–giving a helping hand.

It is little wonder that charity is a spiritual discipline–one of the big three Prayer, Fasting (taking care of our physical body) and Almsgiving, helping some one in need–rescue or saving–even being the “savior” to some one in need.

I love the last line of this week’s passage from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, “Jesus, who recuse us from the wrath to come.” And how does Jesus rescue?  He shows us simply that our way out of the consequences of the corruption of our secular society is by being a people of mercy and mission.  If you want to feel better about yourself, do something positive with your life.

I love how Jesus, our Savior, said, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” I don’t think He was saying eat some bread and drink a jigger of juice as much as He was saying BE my body, BE my blood–BE ME because I’m not going to be around any more–BE ME!  And one thing I am sure of, if Jesus didn’t think we were up to the task, He never would have issued the command, He never would have asked that we do everything we possible can to make sure that no one is left behind.

Peace,
Jarv

 

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