First Responder Sunday
Steve Jones
I Samuel 23
DESCRIPTION: This message is for a Sunday service designed to honor first responders such as firemen and police. It's based upon David's rescue of Keilah. The points are:
1) Real Heroism is Responsive. 2) Real Heroism is Risky. 3) Real Heroism is Rewarding.
INTRODUCTION: Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives on 9/11/2001 and, of those, 411 were emergency workers. First responders ran toward the danger while others ran away. One of those people was New York Fire Department Lt. Joe Torillo. Torillo almost died in the attack when the buildings collapsed and he was covered in a pile of steel and concrete rubble. He suffered fractures to his skull, neck and spine, and had internal injuries. ''I was buried in the darkness,'' he said. Torillo said he could hear others yelling in the debris. The screams turned to crying, then to whimpers and then finally gave way to silence. ''One by one they all died,'' he said. ''And I was still alive.'' He was finally dug out by rescuers who could hear the beeping of his firefighter oxygen equipment. Taken to a boat on the Hudson River he heard them saying that he could die. Survivor's guilt followed. Torillo said he questioned why God did not let him go to heaven with his fellow firefighters. He thought maybe he wasn't good enough. Now, he believes he was saved for a reason, so he could tell the others' stories to make sure a grateful nation will never forget. Torillo says, ''On a day when buildings fell, heroes rose. We will never forget their sacrifice. There is no challenge too risky or too hard for first responders. In the face of terrorism, they chose patriotism. In the face of fear, they chose heroism.''
Today in church we want to honor our first responders. In the message this morning we're going to look at one of the first, ''first responders'' in recorded history - and that is David of the Old Testament.
David was running for his life from King Saul. Saul hated D ...
Steve Jones
I Samuel 23
DESCRIPTION: This message is for a Sunday service designed to honor first responders such as firemen and police. It's based upon David's rescue of Keilah. The points are:
1) Real Heroism is Responsive. 2) Real Heroism is Risky. 3) Real Heroism is Rewarding.
INTRODUCTION: Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives on 9/11/2001 and, of those, 411 were emergency workers. First responders ran toward the danger while others ran away. One of those people was New York Fire Department Lt. Joe Torillo. Torillo almost died in the attack when the buildings collapsed and he was covered in a pile of steel and concrete rubble. He suffered fractures to his skull, neck and spine, and had internal injuries. ''I was buried in the darkness,'' he said. Torillo said he could hear others yelling in the debris. The screams turned to crying, then to whimpers and then finally gave way to silence. ''One by one they all died,'' he said. ''And I was still alive.'' He was finally dug out by rescuers who could hear the beeping of his firefighter oxygen equipment. Taken to a boat on the Hudson River he heard them saying that he could die. Survivor's guilt followed. Torillo said he questioned why God did not let him go to heaven with his fellow firefighters. He thought maybe he wasn't good enough. Now, he believes he was saved for a reason, so he could tell the others' stories to make sure a grateful nation will never forget. Torillo says, ''On a day when buildings fell, heroes rose. We will never forget their sacrifice. There is no challenge too risky or too hard for first responders. In the face of terrorism, they chose patriotism. In the face of fear, they chose heroism.''
Today in church we want to honor our first responders. In the message this morning we're going to look at one of the first, ''first responders'' in recorded history - and that is David of the Old Testament.
David was running for his life from King Saul. Saul hated D ...
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