Rescue Plan

 

There were yelling and screaming kids running everywhere! I was one of them…a fellow 5^th graders looking to get involved in the mayhem.  I stood at one corner of the pen. A chain linked fence covered the perimeter of the playground and teachers were commission to guard the entrances to the yard.  I noticed that the new girl was being chased by virtually every male 5^th grader in a 7 mile radius, and for no wonder. To the new girl we were all on the same level.  Neither I nor any of the other 5^th graders had done anything to ruin our chances of setting a good long lasting first impression…yet. 

As I watched it became apparent to me that the new girl was involved in a massive game of tag.  This struck me as odd, because the “It” is usually the one chasing the others, but this “It” was being chased by everyone.  This just didn’t seem fair.  It was obvious that this new girl needed rescuing from these preadolescent monsters! I knew what I had to do.

I put my plan into motion.  I ran with the other boys chasing the new girl. To the average observer it may have appeared that I too was one of the monsters. That would soon change.  I ran hard, ducking under staircases and ladders. I ran up the slides and slid down the poles.  Finally, I found my opening. I dashed off 37 degrees to my left and cut her off…but instead of “tagging her,” I stopped and turned to face the savages.  “Stop right there!” I bellowed!  “Leave her alone!”

I had done it, I had wedged myself between her and the wolves.  I AM her RESCUER!

I hear her sweet voice behind me beckon like a siren to a sailor, “What are you doing you dweeb? You are ruining our game!”

I guess sometimes we don’t always realize that we need rescuing. 

That is sometimes the case with Jesus too.  Jesus is the great rescuer, but often times we either don’t know we need rescuing or we simply refuse to be rescued as we would rather stay in our chains of bondage. 

Our response does not change the fact that God offers to rescue us.   God set his rescue plan in motion from the moment of original sin.  God’s plan to rescue mankind came to fulfillment in the Gospel.  That is the Good News…that Jesus will cut our bonds of slavery and set us free! He will rescue us, if we will simply accept his rescue plan. This is the message we find throughout Galatians.

May we come to find our rescue in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.