The Heroic Sacrifice: April 17th 2007

in memory of Professor Librescu


He was a Jewish man who faces many trials.
Under the rule of a wicked ruler name Ceausescu in Romania.
But even before then he walked the narrow winding path
Through humiliation, mental and physical torture
He wore the Jewish star that cast its sentence of death
But he survived the scourge of the Nazi empire
He faced threats, danger and unthinkable horror.
And he survived.
He was a teacher
Surrounded by students
And then came the day
April 17th 2007
A class full of students
young men and women
their lives in front of them.
Full of hope and promise
Shots rang out.
Screams.
Terror.
He opened the window and urged them to hurry.
They looked at their teacher
 unbelief
As he blocked the door
He urged them
But he didn’t leave the room.
He stayed there.
A man…
Willing and able.
Greater love hath no man than this.
No greater love
 “Hurry,” he shouted
He had no fear of death
and so he stayed until the very last.
He died.
At the very end- his life reached the heights of glory
for he died so others could live.
 In this death unexpected death we witnessed unexpected grace.
Therefore it is fitting that we also remember another Jew
who faced many trials
under the rule of a wicked ruler name Pontius Pilate.
He walked the narrow winding path the way of sorrows
through humiliation
He was hunted down even as a child.
But he survived the scourge of the Roman Empire.
He faced threats, danger and unthinkable horror.
But he survived.
He too was a teacher
Surrounded by students
And then came the day
with the weight of man’s sin upon Him
The hammer fell
Screams.
Terror
Still, He opened the grand door of escape.
They looked on the face of their Savior
Unbelief.
As he hung on the cross,
He forgave,
He suffered,
But he didn’t leave the cross though the escape was well within his reach.
He stayed.
A Man
willing and able
Greater love hath no man than this-
No greater love
He had no fear of death
and so he stayed until the very last.
He died.
At the very end- His life reached the heights of glory
for He died so others could live.
And now He bids us, come.