Trapped With No Way Out

Have you ever felt trapped with no way out?

It was a normal, temperate October afternoon in the West Texas oil town of Midland. Reba Gayle McClure was enjoying playing out in the backyard with her children and their friends. In 1986 - an age before cell phones or even the proliferation of wireless home phones – a phone call had to be taken in a room where the phone was actually sitting! Such a phone call rang out that afternoon, and Reba left her scouting place on the back yard patio to answer a ringing phone in the kitchen. In a matter of moments, the phone call had ended, “good-byes” had been said, and Mrs. McClure made her way back to the patio to resume her post, watching the children. As she returned, however, she was not met with the giggles of little ones running and jumping. Instead, she saw a group of children huddled shoulder-to-shoulder, staring at the ground below their feet. Curiosity was met with concern which quickly gave way to panic as Reba noticed that her little daughter was not among the gathered children and that all fingers were pointing toward a small hole in the Texas earth.

The hole was actually a lot more than a hole. As in most West Texas oil communities, wells were dug where ever there was a hunch there might be oil, gas, water - whatever. Many times, the remnants of these drillings would be in the strangest of places – including back yards. Reba’s 18 month old daughter, who would soon to become “baby Jessica,” had fallen down a hole that had been originally dug for the family’s water supply, but had since gone dry. And now, 22 feet below the surface, in a space only eight inches in diameter, Jessica lay stuck, trapped, with no chance of escape.

What was to continue was one of the most amazing American dramas of the twentieth century. Rescue workers began to arrive one by one. Concerned neighbors began to pour out of their houses and surround the scene. Before long, the entire world was brought to the McClure’s doorstep as news crews from every major television station assembled to cover the unfolding drama. A decision was made that a parallel shaft must be drilled next to the old water well; next, an upward shaft would be drilled diagonally and upwards below the fallen baby. The plan was as creative as it was dangerous, for every vibration from the rescuer’s drill might compromise the aging well shaft or cause the child to slip and fall the remaining 80 feet of the deep hole.

Oxygen lines were dropped down the hole to provide fresh air for the struggling baby. Hot air was injected into the space by an above-ground heater to keep the toddler warm. A microphone and speaker were lowered into the space to monitor the progress and vitals of the trapped baby. Sometimes baby Jessica cried. Other times she talked and asked for her mother. Still, on a couple of occasions, Jessica passed the time by singing nursery songs. The baby even found opportunity to sleep between the drillings in the cramped space.

As the hours passed, the trapped baby’s fate was becoming more and more perilous as the very real risk of shock, dehydration, and starvation threatened. In spite of all the frenzy for the stuck baby, there seemed to be no way out, as the drillers were met by an impasse of solid rock. However, after almost 58 hours since the crisis began, baby Jessica was exhumed from her would-be well shaft coffin! Though in shock, dehydrated, battered and bruised with a broken leg and foot, Jessica McClure was brought to safety. Indeed, she was trapped no more.

Many times in our lives, we feel trapped with no chance of escape. We might not be crammed in a 8 inch well shaft, but the pressures of various circumstances generate the same level of anxiety and hopelessness. It is during these times that we are reminded of two things: 1), the emotional, physical, and spiritual stuff we are made of in the midst of crisis, and 2) how desperately we need a Deliverer to rescue us from our plight. In our worship this week, focus your hearts and mind on the idea that God is our Great Rescuer and that he is in charge of every one of our predicaments when it seems there is no way out – no matter how tight the space.

Resounding Themes:
Deliverer God
Jesus Rescuing Us from the Grave
God’s Great Sacrifice
Our Glad and Sincere Hearts

Ready, Set, READ

Acts 12

Ready, Set, MEDITATE

- What is king Herod doing as the story unfolds? What is his motivation? What do you think he sought to arrest Peter rather than some of the other disciples? What, ultimately, did Herod intend to do with Peter? What lengths does Herod exert to ensure Peter’s imprisonment? What does that say about his state of mind?

- How do you think Peter must have felt while trapped in prison? What circumstances occurred that secured his release? What amazing things happened in the course of the liberation? What is Peter’s response to being released?

- Where is Peter’s first stop after leaving the prison? What is ironic about where he goes? How is Peter initially met? Who is the “James” he mentions to be told of the news? What happened back at the prison block the next morning? What subsequently happened to Herod?

- Have you ever been in a physically tight spot where you weren’t sure there was a way out? What happened? Have you ever been in a tight predicament, spiritually, and wondered how you might react if the circumstances only worsened? What happened? What courage as a worshipper can you gain be reading this story in Acts 12?

Ready, Set, PRAY

We give thanks to You, oh God – Your love endures forever!

You, the Creator of the heavens and the seas, have displayed Your love to us in all that the eye beholds. Not one blessing have You withheld from our grasp. Our lives are, themselves, a representation of Your splendor and majesty – Your love endures forever! When Your creation failed and separated themselves from You in the garden, You spared us from extinction and offered a new life through labor and devotion. When the creation once again became too wicked in Your sight, You rose a mighty Flood, still leaving a remnant to carry on Your holy Name. When it seemed the lineage of Your people would die with one man, you made him father of all and offered him the Covenant of Your faithfulness. When Your people were bound in slavery, you delivered them from captivity and brought them into a land flowing with milk and honey. And, at just the right time, when it appeared that humankind would forget You entirely as they made Your Law their god, You offered a single, all-sufficient sacrifice in Your son Jesus that we might have life to the full – Your love endures forever! Father, time and time again, in tight spot after pressing circumstance, You have delivered us by the saving power of Your right arm. Truly, Your love endures forever. We are witnesses to Your work in our lives, and our worshipful response is a life of gratitude and praise for the great things You have done! By the power of Christ, Amen.

Ready, Set, WORSHIP!