So That Others Might Live

Message from Rose
So Others Might Live
September 11, 2024

In John 15:13 Jesus said:  “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend.”

I’m always in awe of those who are capable of great acts of bravery and sacrifice. With 9/11 just around the corner,  I thought we could reflect on the stories of bravery and sacrifices from that day. Because we should never forget. 

There is the story of the two friends who worked together at the World Trade Center One. One man was Jewish , the other a Christian who was a quadriplegic.  The quadriplegic had a nurse that accompanied him to work each day.  

After the plane hit their building, the Jewish man told his friend’s nurse to leave the building with the others.  He told her he would stay with his friend. And stay he did.

When it was clear there was no longer an opportunity for rescue - both men called their families, told them goodbye and that they were loved.   Not long after those calls were made their building collapsed and those two friends went down with it together.

I remember the story of the woman in a wheelchair, who was in the same building on the 68th floor. She was overwhelmed when she considered how she was going to make it down the 68 flights of stairs before her.

Fortunately for her, Michael Bonfanti and his co-worker John Cerquiera spotted her behind a set of glass doors.  Those men carried the woman and her wheelchair down all 68 flights of stairs – reaching the street just moments before the budling collapsed.

Let’s not forget the brave passengers on flight 93. After their plan had been taken over, several passengers called their loved ones. They quickly learned about the fates of the other planes hijacked and the attack on the World Trade Center towers and the pentagon.  

It wasn’t long before several passengers decided their plane would not be used as a weapon.  Jeremy Glick told his wife on the phone, “We’ve taken a vote.  We’re going to do something. If he (the hijacker) is going to crash into something, well,  let’s not let that happen.”  

Flight 93 crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania .  Killing the 44 on board – but no one else.

There is a story that a picture told that I will never forget. It is etched in my mind for ever because it was just that powerful.  U.S. News and World Report printed a photograph of people on the stairwell evacuating one of the World Center buildings. In the photo – all of the people in the stairwell were going down the steps.

Only one man, a New York firefighter, was going up the steps. While others were fleeing danger – he was running towards it. The fire department of New York has said the number of its members who have died from 9/11-related illnesses is now equal to the number lost on the day of the attacks, 343.

So many acts of bravery.  So many men and women willing to give up their lives so that others might live.  But this isn’t the first time in the history of our country that men and women were willing to sacrifice so much for others.

As we go back to the establishing of this country and its freedom from tyranny I am reminded of a few stories.

John Hancock, the president of the Continental Congress, declared after signing the declaration with unusually large writing; “his majesty can now read my name without glasses. And he can also double the price on my head”.  And he was right. Many of the signers and thousands of colonists lost lives, property, and families, as a result of their resolve to fight for a free nation. The last words of the last sentence of the Declaration of Independence, “…we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” 

One example is Abraham Clark. Clark was a signer from New Jersey with two sons who went on to fight in the revolutionary war. His sons were captured by the British and put on the “Jersey”, a prison ship right off the shores of New York. 

Because of the brutality against the patriots on this ship, it was eventually referred to as the "hell ship." Abraham Clark’s sons experienced extremely brutal treatment because of who their father was. One son was put into solitary confinement often and often too, without food. 

When the war was just about over, the British made Abraham Clark an offer: recant and come out in favor of the king, and we will release your sons. Anyone of us who are parents and love our child more than our own life can imagine how difficult it must have been for Abraham Clark to answer with a firm no.

There is a story from World War II that is just beautiful and moving. The Dorchester was a freighter that had been converted into a troop transport. It was hit off the coast of Greenland at 1 a.m. On February 3, 1943.  A German submarine spotted the ship and its convoy. They fired a torpedo that would sink the boat in under 30 minutes.

As you can imagine there were immediately horrific causalities and much confusion. In the midst of the chaos four army chaplains joined together to bring faith and hope to a desperate situation.

Those chaplains were Methodist Minister Lt. George l. Fox, Rabbi Lt. Alexander D. Goode, Catholic Priest Lt. John P. Washington, and Dutch Reformed Church Minister Lt. Clark V. Poling.

The chaplains immediately went to work to calm and assure the men and hand out life jackets. When there were no life jackets left, the chaplains took theirs off and gave them away. 

An eyewitness reported that 18 minutes after the boat was hit the four chaplains could be seen holding hands and praying as the boat went down.

According to vawarmemorial.org page:

As the ship went down, survivors in nearby rafts could see the four chaplains–arms linked and braced against the slanting deck. Their voices could also be heard offering prayers.

“Witnesses of that terrible night remember hearing the four men offer prayers for the dying and encouragement for those who would live,” remembered Wyatt R. Fox, son of Reverend Fox.

“It was the finest thing I have seen or hope to see this side of heaven,” said John Ladd, another survivor who witnessed this selfless act.

So that others might live.  

These are just a few  examples of people serving and making sacrifices for others regardless of their personal, political or religious beliefs.  

Greater love has no man than this. That a man lay down his life for his friend. And I imagine greater still to lay down your life for someone you don’t know. It’s a level of love. It’s a level of courage that not everyone possesses or has the opportunity to express.

And perhaps it is not only giving our life – but laying our life down to be of service to others. Can we sacrifice our time, our energy and resources for others in order to meet their needs? To bring comfort to their lives. Is that possibly another way of laying our lives down for others? For some of us laying down our lives may mean just that. Put aside our needs and desires for the opportunity to meet others in their need.

We do it so others might live. And live more abundantly.

Not every story is recorded in history books or makes headline news. But they are every bit as powerful and sacrificial. We can create our own stories of courage, and sacrifice for others. 

And consider those who do go the extra mile – who do make that ultimate sacrifice – or put themselves in harm’s way to protect us every day. May we always, always be mindful of our first responders, law enforcement and veterans as they serve us, our communities and our nation.