Written in Blood

On January 26th, 2005, a California train derailed, killing 11 people and injuring over 200. About 6:00 AM that morning, a Metrolink commuter train struck a sport utility vehicle parked on the tracks in an aborted suicide attempt in Glendale.  The train derailed and struck another Metrolink train.

One of the 200 injured was a 44-year-old man named John Phipps.  Phipps said he normally wouldn’t have taken the train that derailed but he had been called to work early at an aerospace plant in Burbank.  He remembers sitting upstairs in the double-decked car and going to sleep.  The next thing he remembered was waking up, feeling mist falling on his face, and seeing smashed bits of the train.  He touched the back of his head and then looked at his hands, which were covered in blood.  He called for help but got no immediate answer.  Trapped under debris, he waited for rescuers.

At one point, Phipps said he reached out and touched an upended train seat that sat right above him.  Believing he was dying, he found himself leaving a message with his own blood.  The message was to his wife and children.  He wrote:

"I my kids.  I Leslie."

His rescuers came on the scene minutes later and saw the message. Fire Captain Robert Rosario said, "I've seen some gruesome things on this job, but that moved me. My only thought was, I have to get that seat to his wife and kids." His wife said about the message, "Hallmark is never going to top that. It's moving, it's thoughtful and it's chilling all at the same time." *

The story of John Phipps and his message written in his own blood is a moving one, but there is ANOTHER moving love story written in blood: 
The love of -JESUS CHRIST- for a lost world.

Due to our sin, YOU and I are “pinned” under the condemnation of sin with no hope.  But Jesus came to our rescue.  In order to save us from our sins, Jesus had to shed His blood as payment for them.  “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

The blood of Jesus redeems those who accept His offer of salvation by: believing in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turning from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confessing Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized (immersed) in His name for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  The blood of Jesus will CONTINUE to cleanse those who CONTINUE to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7).

With His OWN blood, Jesus demonstrated His great love for you and for me.  The message is moving, thoughtful, and chilling all at the same time, and it is the means of our salvation IF we will accept His gift on His terms.

Won’t YOU respond to His great love through your loving obedience?

David A. Sargent, Minister

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

* Information gleaned from Associated Press article: “L.A. Train Passenger Recalls Blood Messages to Family.” http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-02-04-train-message_x.htm

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