That when the President of France makes an announcement that shocks Europe. He is closing their borders. No flights from India, Pakistan, or anywhere else that this thing has been seen. That night, you're watching a little CNN befor going to bed. Your jaw hits your chest when a weeping woman is translated from a French news program to English, "There's a man lying in a hospital in Paris dying of the mystery flu." It has come to Europe. Panic strikes. As best they can tell, once you get it, you have it for a week and you don't know it. Then you have four days of unbelieveable symptoms. Then you die. Britian closes it's borders but it's too late. South Hampton, Liverpool, North Hampton, and it's Tuesday morning when the President of the United States makes the following announcement. "Do to a national security risk, All flights to and from Europe and Asia have been canceled. If your loved ones are overseas, I'm sorry. They can not come back untill we find a cure for this thing."
Within four days our nation has been plunged into an unbelieveable fear. People are selling little masks for your face. People are talking about what if it comes to this country, and on Tuesday preachers are sayng, "It's the scourge of God". It's Wednesday night and you're at a church prayer meeting when somebody runs in from the parking lot and says "Turn on the radio, turn on the radio!" While the church listens to a little transistor radio with a microphone stuck up to it, the announcement is made, "Two women are lying in a Long Island hospital dying from the mystery flu." Within hours it seems, this thing sweeps accross the country. People are working around the clock trying to find an antidote. Nothing is working. California, Oregon, Arizona, Florida, Massachusettes. It' as though it's sweeping in from the boarders.
Then all of a sudden the new comes out. The code has been broken. A cure can be found. A vaccine can be made. It's going to take the blood of someone who hasn't been infected. And so, sure enough, all through the midwest, through all those channels of emergency broadcasting, everyone is asked to do one simple thing: "Go to your downtown hospital and have your blood taken. That's all we ask of you. When you hear the sirens go off in your neighborhood, please make your way quickly, quietly, and safely to the hospitals." Sure enough, when you and your family get down there late that Friday night, there is a long line. They've got doctors and nurses comming out and prickig fingers, taking blood and putting lables on it. Your wife and your kids are out there, and they take all of your blood types and they say; "Wait here in the parking lot and if we call your name, you can be dismissed and go home." You stand around with yor neighbors, scared, wondering what in the world is going on, and is this the end of the world.
Suddenly a young man comes running out of the hospital screaming. He's yelling a name and waving a clipboard. What? He yells it again! Your son tugs on your jacket and says, "Daddy that's me." Before you know it they have grabbed your boy. "Wait a minute, hold on!" And they say, "It's o.k. his blood is clean. His blood is pure.We want to make sure he doesn't have the disease. We think he has the right type." Five tense minutes later, out come the dotors and nurses, crying and hugging one another some are even laghing. It's the first time you have seen anybody laugh in a week, and an old doctor walks up to you and says: "Thank you sir. Your son's blood type is perfect. It's clean, it's pure, and we can make the vaccine." As the word beguins to spread accross the parking lot full of folks, people start screaming, and praying, laughing, and crying.
But then the gray-haired doctor pulls you and your wife aside and says; "May we see you for a moment? We didn't realize that the donor would be a minor and we need...we need you to sign a consent form." You begin to sign and then you see that the number of pints is blank. "H-h-how many pints?" you ask. And that's when the old doctor smile fades and he says, "We had no idea it would be a little child. We weren't prepared. We need.....we need it all." You say,"But..but," "you don't understand, we're tallking about the world here." he says, "Please sign. We -we need it all - we need it all!" "But can't yo give him a transfusion?" you ask. "If we had clean blood we woud. Can you sign? Will you?" He answers. In numb silence you do. Then they say "Would you like some time with him befor we begin?" Can you walk back? Can you walk back to that room where he sits on a table saying "Mommy, Daddy, What's going on?" Can you take his hands and say "Son, your mommy and I love you, and we would never let anything happen to you that didn't have to be. Do you understand that?" And when that old doctor comes back in and says,"I'm sorry we've - we've got to get started. People all over the world are dying." Can you leave? Can you walk out while he's crying "Dad? Mom? Dad? Why - why have you forsaken me?"
And then next week, when they have the ceremony to honor your son, and some folks sleep through it, and some folks don't even come because they go to the lake, and some folks come with a pretentious smile and just pretend to care. Would you want to jump up and say : "MY SON DIED FOR YOU! DON'T YOU CARE?" Is that what God is saying? "MY SON DIED! DON'T YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I CARE?"
Father, seeing it from your eyes breaks our hearts. Maybe now we can begin to comprehend the great love you have for us.
Amen!