An Easter Message -  “Life in the Blood”

A text message came from the Australian Red Cross Blood Service a  while ago  reminding me I had an appointment with the a blood donor centre.  I am grateful for the privilege to be able to give blood.  Posters  on the walls of the donor centre  remind me that the giving of my blood will contribute to the saving of three lives.  

On arrival a  few necessary preliminaries take place –  checking my blood pressure  and haemaglobin level - and then I lie on the large, comfortable,  layback chair. I watch the preparation process with fascination each time but avert my eyes as the Red Cross nurse (photo attached) inserts the rather large needle into my vein  – there is a gentle prick and a few minutes later the plastic bag is full – containing  470 ml of my blood. The average adult male has around 5 litres of blood so there is still plenty left for me!

This reminds me of a little story.  In his book Written In Blood, Robert Coleman tells the story of a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor explained that she had the same disease the boy had recovered from two years earlier. Her only chance for recovery was a transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the disease. Since the two children had the same rare blood type  the boy was the ideal donor.

"Would you give your blood to Mary?" the doctor asked.  Johnny hesitated. His lower lip started to tremble. Then he smiled and said, "Sure, for my sister." Soon the two children were wheeled into the hospital room--Mary, pale and thin; Johnny, robust and healthy. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny grinned. As the nurse inserted the needle into his arm, Johnny's smile faded. He watched the blood flow through the tube. With the ordeal almost over, his voice, slightly shaky, broke the silence. "Doctor, when do I die?'  Only then did the doctor realize why Johnny had hesitated, why his lip had trembled when he'd agreed to donate his blood. He  thought giving his blood to his sister meant giving up his life. In that brief moment, he'd made his great decision. Johnny, fortunately, didn't have to die to save his sister.

Each of us, however, has a condition more serious than Mary's – we all have a sin condition. It is terminal.   There is only one remedy “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous to bring you to God”. 1 Peter 3:18... Jesus blood was shed for us on the cross on which He died.  The central message of  Easter is that Christ  gave His life and died as a perfect sacrifice for each of us – taking the punishment we deserve for the things we have done wrong.   Jesus was then raised from the dead – the resurrection - on the third day  and is alive for evermore.  

Christ paid the debt He did not owe to satisfy the debt we could not pay.    In response to this amazing gift we need to: Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord..   If we want forgiveness and empowerment for living it’s truly found in the crucified and risen Jesus. Have a blessed Easter.

Bruce Stewart