Pastor Dan
Eddy
Luke 22:1-62
Blood brings
life
4-1-10
(Maundy Thursday)
She never even saw him…….until it was too
late. With one hand on the cell phone, and her other on the steering wheel, it
only took slight pressure on the accelerator to send the Chevy truck hurtling
through the red light. The front of the truck smashed deeply and directly into
Tom's left leg. The impact sent the twisted motorcycle skidding away, leaving
Tom and his ten-year old son, Jake, lying on the asphalt in pools of blood.
Four hours after the accident Tom's best friend was at the side of his hospital
bed. Tom and his son had lost lots of blood. It took 15 units alone to keep Tom
alive as they had to amputate his leg, but he and his son were saved.
"If
it weren't for blood donors," the nurse said, "he would have died on the chopper ride to the hospital."
Tom’s best friend was encouraging people to
regularly give blood. He called it Crimson
Gold.
Normally the discussion of blood doesn’t come
up in every day conversation until someone loses it. Blood brings life; the lack of blood ends it.
The
value of blood is often not seen until it’s lost and needs to be restored.
II.
Blood: the Common Denominator
Tonight as you heard St. Luke’s Passion
Readings for Maundy Thursday, I hope you caught what each reading had in
common…blood!!
Although blood was not mention in the first
reading Judas eventually spilled his blood because he believed he committed the
unforgiveable sin, betraying the Son of God and the Son of Man. Judas lost blood that was never replaced.
When the blood drains out, life ceased to exist.
And in the
fourth reading…, the Servant of the High Priest’s blood was spilled at Christ’s
arrest when his ear was chopped off…and yet Jesus healed him and called for no
more blood to be shed…except His.
Just
moments prior to that…the image of water, in the form of sweat, as thick as
blood was coming from the pours of Jesus’ body. That expresses the intensity of the
moment when Christ was praying to His Father. “Is it possible to do this another way?” Jesus
was praying. “If not, Father, then Your
will be done.”
And less than
24 hours later, (Pick up spear from
cross piece) the spear pierced His side, and blood and water came out. The ironic fluids from Christ’s body. Water
and blood. Water and His blood are the means you and I are given new
life….water at our baptism and blood His in the His Supper.
Blood bring life; lack of blood ends
it.
In the second
reading….Christ took wine and spoke His Word…and instituted it as His
blood…then shared it. It is a profound mystery how such a thing can be to offer
life and forgiveness. It is a miracle and beyond our comprehension. We
shortchange our Lord’s love when we think the Sacrament offers anything less
than His real blood, giving His real love expressed in real forgiveness from
our sins.
In the third
reading…after Holy Communion, with Christ’s blood inside of the Disciples and
eventually inside us in a few moments…we are now considered the greatest to act
and to serve others humbly as the least.
But our human
pride will get the best of us and we vow never to deny our Lord. But our
actions, like Peter’s in the fifth reading, many times speak otherwise….when we
deny who Christ is and the love He has shown.
Everyday, we
are in the fight for our lives as we bleed out. We don’t bleed out from an auto
accident. We bleed out from our iniquities.
We need Christ’s blood to constantly be renewed or our faith in Him will
die.
Our promises
to God may come up empty as we weep bitterly, confessing our sins, but Jesus’ blood-promises never fail. The
forgiveness for our denial is still promised, and the promised is still kept as
Peter would learn in a few days when Jesus restored him. When it comes to being
saved, God always keeps His promises.
Christ’s shed blood brings life; lack
of His blood ends it.
III. Get the bad out of the blood
One of my
favorite TV shows is M*A*S*H. Berta shares that with me. The 4077…the Mobile
Army Surgical Hospital Units were only a few miles from the front lines of the
Korean and Vietnam Wars, and became essential for saving the lives of our
troops.
One of the
most vivid imageries of the show is the ironic sights of the surgeons after
surgery. Their formally cleaned, pressed, and white surgical outfits would
often be splattered with blood.
Blood is
something that works best in humans when it is not seen. It’s when it’s
spilled…we get very concerned. And yet the surgeon has to open a patient up in
order to eliminate the bad inside of them…a bullet, shrapnel, rupture organ, or
maybe a cancerous tumor…all of which affects the blood, and turns it bad.
Many of you
remember one of our former members, who is now in
heaven, Jody Spear. She faced numerous health problems near the end of her
life, including the awful effects of diabetes. She had one limb after another
amputated. Very painful, but as she said it was needed “to get the bad out of the blood.”
If the bad is out of the blood, you live.
Christ is our
everlasting surgeon, wore his white robe of perfect righteousness and took the
bad out our blood and continues to give us His. And in our everyday walk with
Him, He wants us to keep the bad out of the blood with the Crimson Gold He
gives us.
Jesus wants
you to live healthy lives by following His Commandments and feeding on His Word
so we can keep the bad out of your blood.
He wants you
to speak of your healing like you would brag about the surgeon who would save
you from death coming from an auto accident. He wants you to speak of your
healing like everyone’s life depends on it, because it does.
And so our
mission tonight is to appreciate the dedication and sacrifice of our surgeon.
When you go to give blood at the Red Cross what do they give you? A sticker that tells others you gave blood.
This is done to encourage others to give blood, too.
Well tonight
you will receive a red stole to put around your cross to remind you that Christ
spilled His blood as a sacrifice for you, and gives you that shed blood to save
you spiritually and physically…so life will always be in you…now…in our
imperfect state. And His blood will be in you as you fully experience His
healing, His Crimson Gold, in the life to come…where you will dine with Him
face-to-face in the everlasting feast.
And He wants
you to bring him others bleeding from their transgressions. He wants you to
give others His blood by guiding them here to this M*A*S*H unit…so they can get
the bad out of their blood, and know, believe and understand the real healing
the Lord offers through us here at His altar. (point to the altar).
Tonight as
you leave…wear this stole proudly on you…so others can see you’ve been given
the blood that always saves, encouraging them to have His blood, too. Amen.