The next day John the Baptizer saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

As I walked around the neighborhood, especially to the south of the church up on Greenbrier, I noticed the signs that mark some of the streets as “wildfire evacuation routes.” That brought back memories of an article I’d read of some fire fighters cleaning up after a forest fire. They were searching for “hotspots,” places were the fire was still smoldering and could flare up again. As they worked the hotspots, they came across this small tree, and in the hollow of the tree was a dead bird. Something about this bird caught their eye. Rather than fly away, this bird had stayed in the tree. It had not only stayed but it had puffed herself up almost in defiance of the fire. In doing so, she was baked hard by the fire, almost petrified. She had covered the entire opening of the little hollow where they found her.

The fire fighters went closer to investigate. As they reached to touch the bird, they heard chirping. When they removed the bird, they found two small baby birds. That mother bird had given her life to protect her babies. She had died so they might live.

A number of us would like to think that we’d do the same for our children, maybe our grandchildren - we’d stand in harm’s way. It is easier to think we’d do it if the threat were real and large and easy to identify like a fire, a storm, or a man with a gun. But what if the threat was not so obvious or apparent? What if it were more subtle like someone who is persuading them to miss church or Bible study again and again for personal pursuits or what if someone we love was drifting closer and closer to the dangers of drugs or a new aged way of thinking that takes Jesus from being God in flesh appearing and makes Him out to be just another prophet. Would we stand in the breach even if they repeatedly pushed us aside? What if it was us who were in danger from stubborn and sinful pride? Who would save us? And John the Baptizer saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Look! Look! Coming is The One who will lay down His life to save his helpless children, children made helpless by sin, The One who stands in the path of danger. The One who comes to save you and me.

I was listening to the radio, and they were reporting that Matt Leinart the Heisman trophy winning quarterback for the USC Trojans has declined the opportunity to turn pro. He will return to USC for his senior year. The commentators noted all he was giving up: probably being a top draft pick, which carries with it a multi-million dollar signing bonus and multi-million dollar contract. He runs the risk of getting hurt, having a dismal season and losing it all. Does He realize what he may be giving away? Is that what most of us would do? Almost from birth we’ve been taught, indoctrinated, to get ahead, to keep our eye on the earthly prize. In our sinfulness we are often more likely to look out for number one.

Unselfishly, Jesus came from Heaven full of grace and mercy. In heaven He had been attended to by thousands and thousands of angels. (Rev 6.11-12) He set it all aside and took up our human flesh. For in Him the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form. (Col 2.9) He did so knowing He would suffer a life ending injury. He did it by allowing sinful men to scourge Him, to reject Him, deny Him, and nail Him to a cross. There the full measure of wrath owed for our sins was collected from Him- His life and its blood was wrung from His body.

Just as in football, you can’t score without getting the ball across the goal line or through the uprights, neither can there be forgiveness without the shedding of blood. It was written, Without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness. (Heb 9.22)

Jesus poured it out in the measure demanded, and when it was all gone, after three seemingly endless hours on the cross, He cried out to God- It is finished and with that He bowed His head and gave up His Spirit. (John 19.30) Matt Leinart may have or may not have given it all up, we won’t know for at least a year, but we do know that Jesus gave it all up for us.

A couple of years ago another football player who had it all gave it all up. His name was Pat Tillman. He was an Arizona Cardinal defensive back with a multimillion-dollar contract and with a promising career. He set it all aside after the attacks on 9/11/2001 to join the Army in defense of our country. He would become an Army Ranger in our war on terrorism.

Unfortunately, Pat Tillman would be killed in combat in Afghanistan. The story is inspiring but it has a tragic twist. It was later suspected that he was killed by “friendly fire.” In a tragic mix up he died. Are we that unselfish? Are we willing to give our all not knowing how it is going to turnout? Often times we are willing to help provided the cost and commitment aren’t too great. But are we willing to give up house, home and comfort to help those we don’t even know? Even those who may not appreciate it? I must admit that my resolve is often weak at best, especially when others don’t appreciate it.

St. John and St Paul write that Jesus (set aside the glories of heaven) came to those that were His own even though they didn’t recognize Him, nor appreciate Him, nor receive Him. (John 1.11) He did to wage war on sin, death, and the devil. And our Jesus was killed by friendly fire, too. He was killed by those He came to save- sinful human beings. He came to save the likes of you and me.

He came to save me even when in my sinfulness I might as well have been the one beating Him with the whip of my repeated sins; He came for you, even when you deny Him repeatedly in your weak-kneed faith; He did it even though there was a tragic mix up: sinners like Barabbus, like me and all mankind should have died for our sins. But Jesus stood up and said, ‘There is no mix up. I will die that they might have life and have it abundantly. This is why I’ve come.’ “The Lion of Judah” became the sacrificial “Lamb of God.” Jesus laid down His life to rescue us, to deliver us, from sin. He died at the hands of those He came to save. He died at the hands of those He called friend. He died, I guess you could say, of “friendly fire”

When our firefighters found the mother bird they noted that she died preserving the lives of her young. Jesus died to give life to all of us who were facing certain death. But He did something the little bird could not do- He rose again. When the women came to the tomb that morning they found He wasn’t dead, though being fully man He should have been after they watched Him die on the cross. No, being fully God He had risen to life again and He gives life to all who will believe in Him and what He did to save us from the raging fire of sin and death. That life He freely gives to us through the hearing of His Word, in baptism and in communion.

By postponing his trip to the pros for one more year Matt Leinart gave great hope and promise to his teammates at USC – possibility of another national championship. Jesus gave great hope to all his believers. He spoke with them, ate with them, had them touch Him that they would know, and we would know, that He did indeed arise from the dead. His resurrection gives us real hope and promise for He has said whoever believes in Me will not perish but have eternal life. They will wear the crown of a heavenly championship! He has promised to be with us always and if He can calm storms, open the eyes of the blind, and even rise from the dead. We can be confident He can handle anything that we’re facing.

Arizona Cardinal Pat Tillman gave it all up for what he’d been freely given, something he thought was worth fighting for - freedom. We, too, have been given a great gift by God - something which thousands upon thousands of Christians have thought it worth giving up everything for- forgiveness. In that forgiveness is real freedom from sin, death, and the tyranny of the devil. It is something worth giving everything else up for.

All around are people in danger of loosing it all. They like us need to hear about our Jesus, Jesus who came to save them and us from the raging fires of this life and the next. But how will they hear if no one tells them? Amen.