By the Way: God is the lifeline if we are to be saved

By Medicine Hat News on July 14, 2018.

It was on Easter Sunday. Two men are walking down the road on their way to Emmaus which is about seven miles away. They are joined by a third person who asks them what they are talking about. Their answer is, “are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?”

Is there anyone in the city of Medicine Hat who has not heard of the scout master with 12 scouts in Thailand who were trapped in an underground cave several kilometers long? Their exit was blocked by water. Did we not follow day by day reports of people from several parts of the world who came to help? Did we not hear that more rain was coming which would prevent any help from being given them? And did we not give a sigh of relief when on Sunday the first four came out. Then we waited to hear more and on Monday four more were rescued. Miracle of miracles on Tuesday the last five were brought out. The followup for safety reasons is still ahead for them in the hospital.

Three things stand out for me in all of this. The first is the rope the length of the cave which by holding on to it would save their lives. The second is the necessity for food and oxygen to be brought to them to keep them alive. The third was the need of the efforts of many people with different skills to make their rescue possible.

The effort of Jesus to rescue the people in and of this world has gone on for centuries. He is the lifeline if we are to be saved. He knows and cares about our needs from day to day in order to survive. He does not do it alone but takes on the skills and love of others in our life if we are to survive. The scout leader and the scouts themselves did not give up hope and neither should we.

I almost forgot! One life was lost. One of the first divers to reach the scouts lost his life for lack of oxygen. I wonder as the result of his death what they learned that made it possible to save the life of others? Can one person make that difference!

Sidney Nelsonispastor emeritus of Unity Lutheran parish. He has served parishes in Frontier, Lethbridge, MontanaandMontreal.