The Preciousness of LIFE

As we approach the 5th anniversary of 9/11, I’ve had a great many emotions regarding the latest box office release, World Trade Center. “It’s just too soon,” I’d told myself several times as I saw the previews on the TV and in the theater. Indeed, that day for America and for the world was one that will stand as a hallmark for all that’s evil and depraved in the hearts of men. The meaningless destruction of life was mesmerizing and almost, surreal. However, after reading many reviews and contemplating the 9/11 story once again, my wife and I went to see the movie this week.

I’ll be as frank as I can…it was hard to watch. As the plotline unfolded, every memory of that day came flooding into my mind, and as the horror and reality exhibited itself on the faces of the actors, they were most evidently reflected on my own. Yet, to be sure, World Trade Center is not a movie that focuses on the incalculable disaster of terrorism, but on heroism and the beauty of life. In a day where the cinematic mind can create any level of visual horror imaginable, the director chose to minimize (or at least not overplay) the disaster of falling buildings, and focus on the actual lives that were affected by the terror. In the end, the movie was an amazing commentary on the beauty of life, and a tribute to those who sacrifice to give it to us.

But 9/11 will always be a day for my family that has a tangential plot line to that of NYC and Washington DC. On the morning of 9/11, my wife and I got up and made plans to take a trip to the OB/GYN’s office in downtown Houston. You see, we hoped we might be pregnant, and after two confirmed at-home tests and a “thumbs-up” from the doctor a few weeks earlier, we were going to confirm the viability of the pregnancy by seeing the heartbeat.

It’s a procedure that millions of couples had gone through before time and time again…but this one was a little more meaningful for us, because just 4 months earlier, my wife had a miscarriage of our first baby at the exact same time as we were currently in this pregnancy. Every day since we’d learned we were pregnant again was an anxious one. Every visit was a held breath, followed by an exhale of relief when the heartbeat was found. And so, as we loaded in the car that morning, we had other things on our mind than what the day would behold.

We hadn’t rounded the corner from our subdivision, when the first collision came on the news. There was confusion as no two stations could give a report about what exactly had happened. It seemed like little more than an average news story on an average day. I remember turning the radio back to a music station moments later and continuing on our journey to the doctor’s office. However, a few minutes more, there was another interruption to report a second plane had collided with the other tower, and that it was visually confirmed to be a jetliner. Our minds began to race, and the idea of a terror plot had still not entered into our minds…I mean, how could something so bizarre happen twice. And then it came, the words of a confirmed terror plot blasted across the airwaves, and for the first time, we began to get a clear understanding about just what was going on. I remember being on the interstate, praying as we drove when President Bush came on the air from the elementary school where he was visiting. As he spoke to the nation, I wept. Every word he spoke was full of fear, concern, and resolve. The reports coming from the WTC were horrifying as the prospect of the loss of life was staggering.

And then the first tower fell. It was like listening to H.G. Well’s War of the Worlds – except it was real. My wife and I walked into the doctor’s office. There was no conversation among the patients. The two nurses were huddled around a small radio in the reception area. As we waited for our turn, the second tower fell, and there was a noticeable tension in the room. Already apprehensive and frightened by what this day held for us as a family, my wife and I were now on the edge of complete hysteria. And then our name was called. As my wife readied herself and lay on the table, we could only hold hands and be silent. When the sonogram began, there was a great moment of silence as signs of life were sought out.

Blink, blink, blink…there it was…blink, blink, blink. It was the heartbeat of our child being formed in the womb. Blink, blink, blink. Like a tiny cursor on a computer screen, we saw evidence of life! A life that God had created through us! Blink, blink, blink. A life that would be realized more fully in the coming months and years.

We saw life…and in the greatest paradox I could imagine, thousands of lives were simultaneously being snuffed out like so many unwanted cigarettes. It wasn’t until almost 1:00pm that afternoon when we saw the first images of what had happened on that day. Words could not do justice to the horrors of what the eyes beheld as the planes flew into the towers, and the towers plummeted to the ground beneath them.

All of these images went through my mind as we watched the movie a couple of nights ago. And as we watched the struggle of Sgt. John McLoughlin and Officer Will Jimeno, we were reminded of the privilege that is life, and how important it is everyday to live it in such a way as to fully comprehend how precious it is and how precious is the One Who gives it.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus speaks of himself in many ways. However, in John 14, he refers to himself as “the life,” and that no one could experience real life without experiencing him first and last. In our worship this week, let’s focus our thoughts not only the preciousness of this life that we’ve been given, but more importantly on the richness and fullness of life that comes from knowing Life – Jesus Christ.


Resounding Themes:

Jesus, the Life-giver

Getting READY to Worship

Ready, Set, READ

John 14:1-14

Ready, Set, MEDITATE

- As Jesus begins this discourse, where is he? Who’s he with specifically? What spot on Jesus’ timeline of ministry are they? Why are the words Jesus has to say from here on out so important?

- What promise does Jesus reveal to them? How can the disciples access that promise? What seems to be the problem? Who is the disciple that eventually speaks up? What do we know about him? What do the disciples think they want from Jesus? Instead, what is Jesus offering them?

- When Jesus refers to himself as “the way, the truth, and the life,” what is he saying about himself? To what end does Jesus say that we are supposed to access him? What does true life in God look like? What does Jesus tell the disciples they will do in his absence? Why is that so incredible?

- Can we experience that “life” right now? Is it possible for us to do greater things than Jesus did? Why? How?

Ready, Set, PRAY

God…thank You for life! We recognize today that life is a gift both precious and awesome. For the life we have is not our own, nor is it complete without You. God, we want to experience Jesus more fully, so much so, that we might have the life that he offers, and that we might have it to the full. And by knowing Your son better and better, Lord, we realize that we will begin to understand and know You.

God we have seen Your glory…the glory of the One and Only, sent from Your side full of grace and truth! And so, God, we come to you, directly through the conduit of your faithful Son, Jesus. For we know that He alone is The Way to You, The Truth about You, and the representation of The Life we enjoy in You!

God…we thank You for life!

And its in that full life through Jesus we pray. AMEN.

Ready, Set, WORSHIP!