A Day of Retribution : Part 1

A Day of Retribution : Part 1 Joel 3:1-8 A few years ago, I read the book, “Unbroken,” by Laura Hillenbrand. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s the biography of World War II veteran Louis Zamperini. Young Louie grew up in Torrance, California, in a nominally Christian home but he was a wild and rebellious teenager. He got in trouble with the law at a young age.   His older brother encouraged him to use his energy constructively – in running. So, he joined his high school track team. His brother’s encouragement changed his life as he began winning race after race. The locals nicknamed him the Torrance Tornado. Louie’s success on the track earned him a place on the US Olympic Team to compete in the infamous 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. Competing in the 5,000-meter race, Louie finishes in 8th place with a time of 14 minutes, 46.8 seconds. But his running career ended abruptly with the outbreak of World War II. He enlisted in the US Army Air Corps and was trained as a bombardier assigned to the Pacific theater. In May of 1943 Louie and his crew were participating in a search and rescue mission over the Pacific when their plane suddenly lost power to two of its engines and crashed into the sea. Only three of the plane’s 11 crew survived, and one of the initial survivors died before they were “rescued.” On the 18th day of their ordeal, Louie prayed, telling God that if He would spare them, he would dedicate his life to God’s service. After drifting nearly 2,000 miles in 46 days, Louie, and his companion, Phil, were rescued - unfortunately by the Japanese. Sent to a Japanese POW camp, Louie is treated horribly by The Bird, a prison guard who takes sadistic delight in seeing how cruelly he can treat the prisoners. After enduring unspeakable cruelties at the hands of his captors, Louie and his fellow prisoners were liberated by US forces in 1945 and returned to the United States. Louie’s experiences as a POW left him deeply traumatized. He was filled with hate and consumed with a desire for retribution on his tormentors, especially, The Bird. He would have no rest, no satisfaction, no peace until he could provide payback to his tormentors. With no job and no future in running because of the injuries suffered in the prison camp, his bitterness and hatred led him into a downward spiral of alcoholism. As a result of his inability to cope with his trauma, his wife, Cynthia, asked for a divorce.   During this low point in Louie’s life, the Billy Graham Crusade came to town and Cynthia convinced him to attend the services with her. At the meeting, Louie recalled the prayer he prayed while he was drifting in that life raft in May of 1943. Louie committed his life to Christ, he asked for help to deal with his trauma and God restored his marriage. As a result of his spiritual rebirth, God enabled Louie to forgive all who had wronged him during his time as a POW. In 1950, he was able to travel to Japan where he located many of his former tormentors and personally expressed his forgiveness to them in spite of the ill-treatment they had given him. The Bird, the most notorious of the prison guards, who had treated him so horribly, refused to meet him. So, Louie sent him a letter to express his forgiveness. Louie Zamparini modeled Jesus’ way of forgiveness. He understood and acted on the command of Scripture from Romans 12:19, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” Louie forgave his tormentors, but unless they received the forgiveness that Christ alone can grant, there will be a future