When
you think of the word 'sacrifice,' what comes to your mind? Giving up a
favorite hobby or food, giving up a freedom once enjoyed, giving up
opportunities for something else that's important? Or, does it mean something
else for you altogether?
This
past Wednesday, February 20th, was the start of Lent for most Christians. It is
a time of reflection, of giving something up, and preparation for Easter. Last
year, I gave up coffee, except for one cup in the morning, for Lent. A few
weeks into Lent, I was let go from my church position. Because of the anger
that I felt and all of the turmoil in my life, I didn't bother to continue
giving anything up for Lent. Honestly, I didn't see the need because I had been
'forced' to 'give up' my employment. And, in all honesty, last year was the
first time that I even did give up something for Lent.
Having
been deployed three times since 2004 and having changed jobs several times
since leaving Active Duty in 2005, I have not really thought about 'what to
give up' for Lent, just contemplating the meaning of Easter as I continued
about my life. Merriam-Webster Online dictionary defines sacrifice as:
1.
an
act of offering to a deity something precious; especially: the killing of a
victim on an altar
2.
something
offered in sacrifice
3.
a.
destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else b.
something given up or lost
4.
loss
Keeping
this definition of sacrifice in mind, let's look at a couple of examples of
sacrifice in our day-to-day lives, and some examples that some of you reading
this might not be familiar with. With how busy people are with work and family,
something that is often sacrificed for the sake of getting money, or ahead at
work, is time with the family. Many people in high school and college will
'sacrifice' sleep so that they can get their studying (or cramming) done. And,
yes I've been down the road way too many times in my life, in college and while
in seminary!
Others
will 'sacrifice' their grades so that they can participate in the sports (or
other something else outside of school). On the flip side of work and family,
some people will 'sacrifice' a prestigious promotion so that they can continue
to spend quality time with their family. Having worked with the Nebraska
Department of Corrections, I have dealt with many people who 'sacrificed their
futures' when they committed a crime.
I
have but sacrifice in quotes several times in the previous paragraph because of
one perspective of 'sacrifice' is very different from another. For some people
in our society, 'sacrificing' coffee or chocolate for Lent, time with the
family for a promotion, a promotion for more time with the family, sleep for
studying, etc., is all they can really understand in a personal way of what
sacrifice means. And, yes, those are 'sacrifices.' But, I now encourage you to
really take a deeper look at sacrifice and what it means to others.
As
some of you either know, or may have guessed, I have been in the military for
many years. I joined the Army in May of 2001, left Active Duty to join the
Nebraska National Guard in May of 2005, and will soon celebrate 12 years of
military service. Having spent this long in the Army has enabled me to enjoy
three deployments to Iraq. The deployments alone have given me a deeper
understanding of the word 'sacrifice,' but talking with Christians from other
countries has deepened/enriched it even more! But, I'll get this later.
First,
with the military.... If you have served in the military, or someone close to
you has, you may already have some understanding of what I am about to share.
My first deployment to Iraq, I didn't really think about Easter, let alone
Lent, until Easter was practically upon me. My second and third deployments
weren't much different. Although I knew ahead of time about the upcoming season
of Lent, I decided that I was already sacrificing enough with being away from
friends and family that giving up any comforts like coffee, chocolate, deserts,
etc., was out of the question. Some soldiers did give up something for Lent. I
did not.
For
those of us who have are presently in the military, sacrifice is a significant
part of our lives. We sacrifice a lot of time with friends and family to do our
training. I remember back when I was with the 82nd Airborne Division. We would
spend at least 7 days each month in the field training. Being a tactical unit,
being proficient in field work was essential. But, it required us to sacrifice
a lot of time with friends and family, and favorite hobbies, worship time,
etc., to prepare for the field, go to the field, and then clean up gear from
the field. And, that was just training!
For
those of us who have deployed to a combat zone, things get even harsher. I
remember my first deployment, where I spent over a month in Kuwait, awaiting
the order to go north into Iraq. Long days of great boredom in high heat (at it
was very early spring, too), with some training here and there. The occasional
SCUD attacks were a serious threat and a welcomed relief from the monotony that
we had to endure. But, there's always greater sacrifices than that. I have
friends who have been injured because of rocket attacks, being shot at, etc. A
very good friend died while deployed to Afghanistan several years ago. Hearing
about his death really took the wind out of me, and made getting through work
that morning (I worked nights) that much more difficult. But, for those of us
who volunteer to protect our rights and freedoms that others are able to enjoy
in comfort, it's a reality.
We
are prepared from Basic Training and all the way through our military career
about the realities of our work, and that it can come at a very, very high
cost. Still, for some others, sacrifice of freedoms, even one's life, is just a
part of everyday life. I receive a daily E-mail from a Christian organization
called Open Doors (serving persecuted Christians worldwide). Every month, they
take devotions written by Christians where Christianity is persecuted or share
their writings. Some are still alive, but some of the writings are taken from
people who have already laid down their lives for their faith. There are
Christians facing very harsh persecution in Muslim countries, but those are not
the only places. Cuba is a place very close to us where Christians are harshly
treated. Also places in South America are hostile to Christians. Did you know
that the government of North Korea is trying very, very hard to eradicated all
Christians from within their boarders?! I was invited by a senior person in a
non-profit organization that specifically ministers to North Korean Christians
to apply for a position within the organizations. Although I did not get that
job, I have not forgotten the things that I learned while researching for that
position.
Although
I had read a lot about the persecuted church for many years now, that was a
real eye-opening experience! During my last deployment to Iraq, I worked in an
office that created security placards for vehicles in the International Zone.
It was a challenging but fun and fascinating job. One of the real eye-opening
experiences that I had while working there was meeting several Chaldean
Christians. According to Fox's Book of Martyrs, (Doubting) Thomas stopped in
what is now southern Iraq and started several house churches with descendants
of the Chaldean Empire. These people eventually developed into the unit ethnic
of Chaldean Christians.
In
October of 2010, when they started experiencing very harsh persecution, I had
the privilege of talking with several of them about their feelings and
reflections. Again, their ethnic groups' experiences with persecution and
sacrifice made my knowledge and experiences seem very pale and superficial. You
can read more about the Chaldean Church here and the history of their denomination here.
I would like to share some relevant Scripture passages. In John 15:12-14, Jesus
says: "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have
loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for
his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you." (NASB) And also,
a quote for Paul's Letter to the Romans:
“For while we were
still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will
hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would
dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been
justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His
Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Romans 5:6-10 NASB)
As
we go through Lent and prepare ourselves for Easter, I highly encourage you to
think about some of these different perspectives of sacrifice. Right now, I am
leading the adult Sunday school class that I teach through Dietrich
Bonhoeffer's 'Cost of Discipleship.' I highly recommend that you read a book or
do some of your own research on the lives of various martyrs, the persecuted
church, or things that soldiers deal with on a daily basis pertaining to
'sacrifice.' No matter what each of us may have experienced in our lives, there
is so much more we can learn from the lives of others. It is so easy to think
that our understanding of 'sacrifice' is deep and profound. But yet, someone
else's experience can easily change that. I highly encourage you to learn more
so that, by God's grace, you can experience a deeper and more intimate
relationship with Jesus.
RC
