Rise & Shine - July 30
The Rise and Shine discussion group meets Sunday mornings at 9:00 am in the Chapel. Adults from the 8:00 & 10:00 services gather to discuss questions that are relevant to their lives through the lens of a current topic and scriptural references. This week's story can be read or downloaded below.
Human Chain Rescues Nine Caught in Rip Current
Click HERE to download a copy of the story
In the News
Roberta Ursrey nearly lost her family at a beach outing at Panama City Beach, Florida, recently. She heard her two sons scream for help from the water and swam out to rescue them, only to find herself caught up in the same rip current they were battling. Ursrey said later, "I honestly thought I was going to lose my family that day. It was like, 'Oh God, this is how I'm going.'"
Another beachgoer, Jessica Simmons, saw the family in distress. She remembers thinking, "These people are not drowning today. It's not happening. We're going to get them out." Though an experienced swimmer, she quickly realized she could not rescue the family by herself. With her husband Derek, she organized an impromptu human chain (accounts vary as to the number of participants, but some say as many as 80). Simmons swam from the end of the chain out to the struggling swimmers and hauled them one by one back to the chain; as she swam back for others, the rescuers passed each person along the chain to shore. By working together, they pulled Ursrey's family, including her husband, mother, nephews and sons, as well as at least one rescuer who was overcome, to safety.
Simmons later described the event: "To see people from different races and genders come into action to help total strangers is absolutely amazing! People who didn't even know each other went hand in hand in a line, into the water to try and reach them."
Rosalind Beckton administered CPR to Ursrey's mother, who had suffered a heart attack during the rescue. She is now home after a stay in the hospital. Later Beckton shared, "I witnessed many brave citizens risking their safety and their lives to form this human chain. It was amazing and heart-warming to see."
The rescuers insist they are not heroes, but instead, responded as anyone would have.
In the limited time the rescuers had to take action, they were unable to consider the trustworthiness, character, or integrity of those they were working with or trying to save. How can we set aside our differences to work together for the common good?
More on this story can be found at these links:
Florida Family Rescued by Beachgoers' Human Chain. BBC
Amazing Human Chain Formed to Rescue Drowning Family in PCB. Northwest Florida Daily News
Good Samaritans Form Human Chain to Rescue Swimmers Caught in Rip Current Off Florida Coast. ABC
Human Chain Rescues Trapped Swimmers. CNN
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Luke 15:4
[Jesus said,] "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?" (For context, read 15:1-6.)
This is one of a trio of parables Jesus told when religious authorities complained that he was eating with sinners. Here Jesus speaks about the importance of the shepherd going to rescue one sheep out of 100 that has gotten lost. In so doing, does the shepherd prioritize, or place a higher value on, the lost sheep over those who have not strayed?
Questions: Members of the Ursrey family ignored rip current warnings when venturing into the ocean, yet rescuers risked their safety to save them. Is it right or necessary for us to determine whom or under what circumstances people should be saved or helped? What if helping someone comes at the expense of someone else?
Matthew 6:26
[Jesus said,] "Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (For context, read 6:25-30.)
This verse from the Sermon on the Mount is about avoiding worry, but these words of Jesus also make an important statement about the value of a human being. This verse challenges us to re-evaluate the value of every human being, regardless of gender, race, culture, political affiliation, age, disability, etc.? There is a basic value that transcends the barriers we put up to separate ourselves into categories.
Questions: Do all human beings share the same worth? In triage situations where one must choose to save one life over another, how can this value be deterimined? Would you save someone you know over someone you don't know? Someone who is injured in an accident over someone who was injured through their own fault?
1 John 4:12
No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. (For context, read 4:7-12.)
Philippians 4:13-14
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress. (For context, read 4:9-19.)
In the first scripture, John the Presbyter writes to a fellowship that is struggling with conflict between members with very different viewpoints about faith. He is suggesting that imitating God's love for us by loving each other is far more important than the things that divide us.
In the second scripture, Paul the Apostle, writing from prison, is also addressing a congregation struggling with conflict. Like John, he exhorts them to return to the love and joy they knew at their founding, and he thanks them for the tangible ways they made their love come alive by sharing his distress.
Questions: Both biblical writers would say that love can be demonstrated in action. How important is it to you that your actions reflect your beliefs, especially in times of crisis? How can acting from a place of love help us to better work with those with whom we disagree on the deepest levels?
Prayer for the Human Family (BCP p.815)
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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