This Sunday I’m starting a sermon series titled “Call of Duty: Loving Like Jesus.” It is based on a sermon I gave last year on 9/11. Last year our church collected remembrances and images from 9/11 16 years ago.
The picture to the left is of Father Mychal Judge. The following from Wikipedia captures why I selected Father Judge.
“On September 11, 2001, upon learning that the World Trade Center had been hit by the first of two jetliners, Mychal Judge rushed to the site. He was met by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who asked him to pray for the city and its victims. Judge prayed over some bodies lying on the streets, then entered the lobby of the World Trade Center North Tower. There he continued offering aid and prayers for the rescuers, the injured and the dead.
When the South Tower collapsed at 9:59 am, debris went flying through the North Tower lobby, killing many inside, including Judge. At the moment he was struck and killed, Judge was repeatedly praying aloud, ‘Jesus, please end this right now! God, please end this!’
Shortly after his death, an NYPD lieutenant found Judge's body. He and two firemen, a FDNY emergency medical technician, and one civilian bystander then carried Judge's body out of the North Tower. This event was captured in the film 9/11. Shannon Stapleton photographed Judge's body being carried out of the rubble by the five men. It became one of the most famous images related to 9/11. (See below.) Judge's body was laid before the altar of St. Peter’s Catholic Church before being taken to the medical examiner.”
Mychal Judge was designated as ‘Victim 0001’ and thereby recognized as the first official victim of the attacks. Although others had been killed before him, Judge was the first certified fatality because his was the first body to be recovered and taken to the medical examiner.”
Father Judge seems to be someone who responded to the "Call to Duty" perfectly to me. He lived his life preparing for the call and when it came he rushed to answer it. He reminds me that God's love was present even in the face of great evil. God’s love even ran toward the danger. His firefighter’s gear reminds me of putting on the armor of God. Mychal Judge went out fighting, loving like Jesus. The end of Paul’s “armor of God” passage (Ephesians 6:10-18) exhorts us to:
Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (v.18)
Let us always be praying for each other and alert for the call. Let us be ready to respond in Christ’s love when it does.
Joined with you in His battle.
Blessings!
Jeff
The picture to the left is of Father Mychal Judge. The following from Wikipedia captures why I selected Father Judge.
“On September 11, 2001, upon learning that the World Trade Center had been hit by the first of two jetliners, Mychal Judge rushed to the site. He was met by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who asked him to pray for the city and its victims. Judge prayed over some bodies lying on the streets, then entered the lobby of the World Trade Center North Tower. There he continued offering aid and prayers for the rescuers, the injured and the dead.
When the South Tower collapsed at 9:59 am, debris went flying through the North Tower lobby, killing many inside, including Judge. At the moment he was struck and killed, Judge was repeatedly praying aloud, ‘Jesus, please end this right now! God, please end this!’
Shortly after his death, an NYPD lieutenant found Judge's body. He and two firemen, a FDNY emergency medical technician, and one civilian bystander then carried Judge's body out of the North Tower. This event was captured in the film 9/11. Shannon Stapleton photographed Judge's body being carried out of the rubble by the five men. It became one of the most famous images related to 9/11. (See below.) Judge's body was laid before the altar of St. Peter’s Catholic Church before being taken to the medical examiner.”
Mychal Judge was designated as ‘Victim 0001’ and thereby recognized as the first official victim of the attacks. Although others had been killed before him, Judge was the first certified fatality because his was the first body to be recovered and taken to the medical examiner.”
Father Judge seems to be someone who responded to the "Call to Duty" perfectly to me. He lived his life preparing for the call and when it came he rushed to answer it. He reminds me that God's love was present even in the face of great evil. God’s love even ran toward the danger. His firefighter’s gear reminds me of putting on the armor of God. Mychal Judge went out fighting, loving like Jesus. The end of Paul’s “armor of God” passage (Ephesians 6:10-18) exhorts us to:
Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (v.18)
Let us always be praying for each other and alert for the call. Let us be ready to respond in Christ’s love when it does.
Joined with you in His battle.
Blessings!
Jeff
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