Reformation Lutheran Church A Congregation of the ELCA

Thursday, April 7  

SACRIFICE

Tucked into the gently rolling wheat fields of western Kansas, Camp Christy was a summer favorite. Included among memories of skits and songs and swimming and campfires are memories of gathering around the camp cross where two large tree branches had been lashed together and set in a mound of stones. We heard the story, year after year, about how Jesus had been nailed to a cross, sacrificing himself so we could have eternal life. I couldn’t – and still can’t – begin to fathom the physical pain he endured, or why he would give up his life for someone like me, born centuries later.

My father, 91, still lives in the same small house where he and my mom started their life together and raised five kids. In a recent conversation with one of my sisters, he talked about their early decision to forego purchasing a large, more elegant home so they could provide for their children. Although not a life-and-death decision, it was a clear sacrifice made so we could be fed and clothed and educated. And that doesn’t begin to include their commitment of time and energy and love for all of us.

I am both amazed and humbled by what has been given up for me – what my parents sacrificed and what Jesus sacrificed. But for those who sacrifice from the heart, it’s not at all about what they give up; it’s about how deeply they love.

Jill Pletcher


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