Rescue

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

1 Timothy 1:15-17

It was a bad idea from the beginning. The undergraduate degree required one more hour of Physical Education. But for my schedule, the class had to be offered at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. There was only one choice. Yep! I signed up for Water Safety and Lifesaving. It took exactly one class of jumping into that cold water, then being told to swim an uncountable number of laps right after a giant breakfast of biscuits and sausage gravy, for me to figure out, "This was a very bad idea." Somewhere between the last lap and the men's room, dropping out of college seemed very appealing.

At the end of the semester we had to demonstrate that we had learned something. We were each going to leap to "rescue" a volunteer hapless victim. Somebody needed saving! Well, it turned out that my hapless victim had decided to play the role of someone who fights being rescued. It happens. In the panic of drowning, victims often flail and kick against the very people trying to save them. We both survived the ordeal, I passed, and to this day am not particularly fond of swimming.

The meaning of Christmas begins with the reality that someone needs saving, a rescue is required. It's not primarily a sentimental sleigh bells or roasted chestnut kind of story. The "good news of great joy" proclaimed by the angel is that a Savior has come, someone to save those who need saving. When Joseph, Mary's fiancé, gets the word about naming the miracle baby, the angel of the Lord tells him, "You shall call His name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins."  And years later, when it's time for the Savior's baptism, the iconoclastic baptizer on the edge of town calls out to the crowd, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

In our day, we don't talk much about the need for rescue, about the drowning in sin that all of us experience. We fight against that idea, and madly flail and kick. But the Word of God is clear, "there is no one righteous, not even one" and "all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God." All. That means me, and that means you. We don't need a little Christmas. We need our sins to be taken away and replaced with the righteousness of the rescuer.

And being rescued from sin takes exactly what we learned all those years ago in that frigid swimming pool. You cannot save yourself. Listen to the voice of the one sent to save you, He's calling out to you, stop striving. Relax into His embrace. He will save you, and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 
1 Timothy 1:15-17