I AM NOT LEAVING YOU

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28:19-20

Late in the evening of September 11, 2001 a lone US Marine was searching through the rubble at Ground Zero. Hours before, Sergeant Karnes was a senior accountant with Deloitte & Touche in Wilton, Connecticut. As soon as he heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center, he rushed home to change into his Marine Corps camouflage uniform. Then he drove to church and asked the pastor and parishioners to say a prayer that God would lead him to survivors. Then he drove to Manhattan.

US Marine Staff Sergeant David Karnes

As we see his search portrayed in the movie, World Trade Center, Karnes bypasses the other rescuers who had called off the search for survivors until the light of day. Holding his flashlight amidst the acres of debris he comes across another man searching in the darkness, Sergeant Thomas. Together, they set out to find lost souls buried beneath them. Suddenly, Sergeant Karnes stops and looks back over his shoulder. He knows they are not supposed to be there and may be forced to leave by the authorities who considered searching at that time to be too dangerous. With a strong voice he commands Thomas, “We’re not going back. If someone tells us to stop, we don’t hear them. We are NOT going back.” 

So they continue on through the night calling out for survivors. Finally, they hear the voices of two Port Authority Policemen trapped deep below. He calls out to them and the officers plead with him to help. One of them says, “Please don't leave us. I’m Officer Jimeno, I have a little girl and another on the way. And Sergeant McLoughlin is down here, he has four kids. Please don't leave us!"

On his knees, peering into the hole, Staff Sergeant David Karnes bellows, "Buddy, I am not leaving you. YOU are our mission."

After notifying rescuers, Karnes and Thomas stay with the trapped men, even going with them to the hospital after they are dug out.

This one simple, heroic story illustrates everything we are to do in Christ. As followers of Jesus, our mission is to find people buried in the rubble of life. We keep going even through the darkness of night. As a church, we do not go back. Even if others tell us to stop, we never give up and go back. We go forward no matter what because God has called us to the rescue! Finally, when the lost are found, we show them that the love of our Lord is real and that He will never leave them.

This week you will no doubt hear of someone who needs to be rescued. They may be trapped in a pit of despair, buried in grief or lost in the wreckage of their life. No matter what they are going through, you have the power and the mission to offer them a kind word, a prayer, or anything else that will show them they are not alone, they are not forgotten and that help is on the way.

This week’s prayer

Dear Jesus, I know you will need me in the days to come. Your children, my brothers and sisters, are hurting and lost all around me. Give me the strength and courage to go to them in their hour of need. Guide me when answering the call to bring your love to those who need it the most. And let me never forget that once I was lost, but now am found. In Jesus name, Amen.