Selfless Sacrifice – Man as Provider
They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” - John 19:15-19 ESV
This week, we solemnly remember what happened at Pearl Harbor 82 years ago. We recall the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt as he addressed Congress: “Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”
The National Park Service’s website shares a story of heroic courage from that day:
Petty Officer First Class Joseph Leon George was 26 years old on December 7, 1941. At the time of the attack, he was a crew member aboard the USS Vestal, a repair ship moored right next to the USS Arizona. Following the massive explosions on the USS Arizona, six sailors were trapped in the control tower on the Arizona’s main mast, kept there by the fires raging below. Already badly burned, they searched for a way to escape the ship. Joe George spotted them from the USS Vestal and threw them a line, in spite of being ordered to cut the line between the Vestal and the sinking Arizona. Climbing hand over hand across the rope, all six sailors made it across alive.
Lauren Bruner, one of the sailors who survived thanks to George’s selfless bravery, shared his perspective:
A bomb blew up the forward magazine of the USS Arizona BB-39 and the ship was engulfed in flames. I and five others were located on the anti-aircraft gun directors platform above the bridge when the forward powder magazine blew…. I was burned over 80% of my body. At that point, the only possibility to evacuate the ship was to dive in the water, which was 80 feet below and was fully engulfed in flame. That was not an option for survival. A crewman named Joe George was on the USS Vestal that was alongside the Arizona. George spotted the six of us, who had no way to escape the burning ship. He realized the desperate situation of the six of us on the Arizona and threw a line over to us, which was contrary to his Commander's orders.…The six of us would not have survived except for his courage, in spite of being at high risk himself.
Because of George’s selfless act of courage, several sailors were saved from a fiery death and had a second chance at life. Consider what Jesus did for us. He laid down his life on the cross so that we could be saved from a fiery death and have a second chance and a new beginning. His selfless surrender to the cross reverberates down through the ages, and we are forever impacted by what He did on our behalf! May we always remember, and may we never forget!
- We are touched by the courageous stories of Pearl Harbor. How do we remember and honor the courage and sacrifice of Jesus for us on the cross?
- In what ways are you providing your children and grandchildren with an example of selfless courage and sacrifice?
- Pray and ask God to help you live your life in a self-sacrificing way so that it provides a legacy for those you love.
They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” - John 19:15-19 ESV
This week, we solemnly remember what happened at Pearl Harbor 82 years ago. We recall the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt as he addressed Congress: “Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”
The National Park Service’s website shares a story of heroic courage from that day:
Petty Officer First Class Joseph Leon George was 26 years old on December 7, 1941. At the time of the attack, he was a crew member aboard the USS Vestal, a repair ship moored right next to the USS Arizona. Following the massive explosions on the USS Arizona, six sailors were trapped in the control tower on the Arizona’s main mast, kept there by the fires raging below. Already badly burned, they searched for a way to escape the ship. Joe George spotted them from the USS Vestal and threw them a line, in spite of being ordered to cut the line between the Vestal and the sinking Arizona. Climbing hand over hand across the rope, all six sailors made it across alive.
Lauren Bruner, one of the sailors who survived thanks to George’s selfless bravery, shared his perspective:
A bomb blew up the forward magazine of the USS Arizona BB-39 and the ship was engulfed in flames. I and five others were located on the anti-aircraft gun directors platform above the bridge when the forward powder magazine blew…. I was burned over 80% of my body. At that point, the only possibility to evacuate the ship was to dive in the water, which was 80 feet below and was fully engulfed in flame. That was not an option for survival. A crewman named Joe George was on the USS Vestal that was alongside the Arizona. George spotted the six of us, who had no way to escape the burning ship. He realized the desperate situation of the six of us on the Arizona and threw a line over to us, which was contrary to his Commander's orders.…The six of us would not have survived except for his courage, in spite of being at high risk himself.
Because of George’s selfless act of courage, several sailors were saved from a fiery death and had a second chance at life. Consider what Jesus did for us. He laid down his life on the cross so that we could be saved from a fiery death and have a second chance and a new beginning. His selfless surrender to the cross reverberates down through the ages, and we are forever impacted by what He did on our behalf! May we always remember, and may we never forget!
- We are touched by the courageous stories of Pearl Harbor. How do we remember and honor the courage and sacrifice of Jesus for us on the cross?
- In what ways are you providing your children and grandchildren with an example of selfless courage and sacrifice?
- Pray and ask God to help you live your life in a self-sacrificing way so that it provides a legacy for those you love.