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December 22, 2007
Christmas Love
“Greater love has no one than this,
that he lay down his life for his
friends.”
(John 15:13)
Jesus spoke these words to his closest
friends just hours before his death.
His willing sacrifice provides the
greatest example of love the world has
ever known. This act of love is the
reason we celebrate Christmas and give
gifts to those we love. But no gift
could match dying for ones friends.
Two American soldiers demonstrated this
kind of sacrifice during a short but
deadly battle in Mogadishu, Somalia. On
October 3, 1993 Master Sergeant Gary
Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randall
Shughart, died heroically in an effort
to save the lives of four downed
servicemen. The movie “Blackhawk Down”
portrays the courage of these men who
volunteered to leave the safety of their
hovering helicopter and face an
overwhelming force of well armed
enemies. No other help was available.
This mission would almost certainly end
in their death. But their wounded
friends were trapped without help and
they offered themselves to save them.
As Gordon and Shughart attempted to
provide suppressive fire from above the
downed aircraft, they requested
permission to be inserted into the area
to secure the crash site. Their request
was denied, and then denied again. On
their third request, they received
clearance to enter the fight. With only
their sniper rifles and side arms, they
killed an undetermined number of enemy
fighters, holding them off until they
depleted their ammunition. Gordon and
Shugahart died in this action and were
posthumously awarded the Congressional
Medal of Honor. Their efforts saved the
life of the downed pilot.
American servicemen have performed many
similar acts of selflessness, giving
their lives to save fellow soldiers.
This story is powerful because the two
heroes had time to consider their
actions before volunteering. Theirs was
not a spontaneous reaction to danger,
nor was it an act of personal survival.
They saw the threat from their view
above the battle. They knew the most
likely outcome of their volunteer
mission, yet they still went in when
reason and logic told them this was a
lost cause.
That’s the kind of love shown to us at
the birth of Christ. Jesus knew his
mission was to die for the sins of the
world. He knew that he would suffer, as
prophesied in the Old Testament. Still,
he came.
“The Word became flesh and made his
dwelling among us. We have seen his
glory, the glory of the One and Only,
who came from the Father, full of grace
and truth."
(John 1:14)
Compared to heaven, every aspect of his
life here on earth was filled with
ignominious sacrifice. He willingly
accepted the limitations of a mortal
body with its sorrows, pains, and
afflictions. The innocent Son of God
died on a Roman cross in the place of
guilty sinners. Of this sacrifice,
Richard Lenski writes, “It would be
wrong to force the innocent to die in
this manner: but when the innocent one
offers himself to save the guilty, this
is the supreme height of nobility.”
(Richard Lenski, “Romans,” 348) In 2
Corinthians 5:21 we read,
“God made him who had no sin to be sin
for us, so that in him we might become
the righteousness of God."
As you celebrate the birth of Christ
with your loved ones, remember that love
is the reason for Christmas. God gave
us the first Christmas gift, in the form
of a baby, wrapped in cloths and lying
in a manger. The baby that created the
universe and spoke the world into
existence came to offer himself in
exchange for your sins. His
selflessness demonstrates the Father’s
love for us, and shows us how to love
one another.
We pause to remember all of the men and
women, who like Sergeants Gordon and
Shughart have given their lives for the
cause of liberty and the love of their
fellow soldiers and citizens. We thank
those protecting our nation from the
enemies that seek our destruction. My
prayer is that the Lord would bless you
richly, protect you and bring you home
safe and whole. During your time of
testing, remember Jesus who gave his all
for you. Turn to him for guidance,
peace and protection. Consider what he
has done for you and receive his gift of
Christmas love.
You can read the
Medal of Honor citation at
www.history.army.mil/html/moh/somalia.html
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