Luke 14:22-23 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
The story was told of an airlift operation in a war zone. In brief, the helicopter pilot and crew were sent to rescue three people from a war zone. Needless to say it was dangerous with no certain outcome. When the team arrived, there were more than three who needed help. As the crew helped the wounded, more came from the underbrush seeking to be rescued. At the risk of an overweight aircraft, the pilot said, “this may be our only time; we must make room.” The lift-off was said to be shaky, but they cleared the tree line and made it safely home. The saving of lives became a danger, a gamble if you will. They needed to make room on an already crowded platform, but the pilot knew that they would not be coming back. It was now or never. Live or die; this was the final mission and there was no turning back.
The intensity of such testimonies is often lost in our current convenience. However, the veterans who went through these experiences feel the moment as if it happened yesterday. The American Legion hosts sessions for these stories to be told. The emotions they share are said to be overwhelming. The remnants of war are laid out in raw terms. A common anguish among them is the people left behind. Some lost and never found. Some lifeless just beyond their reach.
I was struck by the news of the drive-thru lines at Starbucks; the inconveniences found when the Walmart checkout lines are not manned; and the longer than expected wait times for Grubhub. First World problems have blinded us from the desperate need of the never-dying soul.
A war is raging for the souls of mankind – the church is often mired in conveniences. Snow-bird mentality mixed with temporal ambitions all cascading into a “me” mentality. While the lost are in need of a rescue, the holidays consume our limited emotional reservoir. Too many things demanding too much attention. Our options for self-care are creating an empty battlefield. The highways and hedges are the unlikely places to find self-engrossed Christians and yet, there is room. I feel the heartbeat of that unknown helicopter pilot, “we may never come this way again. We must find and save as many as we can.”
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole
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