By Quentin Davis
As we gather around the Lord’s Table today, let us reflect on a story of extraordinary courage and self-sacrifice from the frozen fields of World War II. On December 21, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge in Malmedy, Belgium, 19-year-old Private First-Class Francis S. “Frank” Currey was part of a small squad of just eight men tasked with guarding a vital bridge crossing and strongpoint. Enemy tanks and infantry had overrun American positions, pinning down his comrades and threatening to wipe out his unit as the Germans sought to seize the bridge and advance deeper into Allied territory.
Armed with a bazooka he retrieved under heavy fire, Currey single-handedly disabled a tank with a precise shot to its turret. He then advanced alone toward an enemy-held house, firing his automatic rifle to wound or kill several soldiers, and collapsed part of the structure with rockets. Spotting five fellow Americans trapped and exposed—two of them wounded—he braved murderous gunfire to hurl antitank grenades, forcing the German tank crews to abandon their vehicles. Mounting a half-track, he manned a machine gun, providing relentless covering fire that allowed those men to escape to safety. Throughout the ordeal, Currey held the line with unyielding determination, repeatedly exposing himself to enemy fire to repel the assault and prevent the Germans from crossing the bridge, effectively halting their advance and saving the position from being overrun. Through his heroic actions, Currey not only stemmed the enemy tide but saved lives at great personal risk, earning him the Medal of Honor.
Frank Currey’s story echoes a greater sacrifice—one that resonates deeply as we partake in Communion. Just as Currey laid everything on the line to hold that bridge and rescue his brothers in arms from certain death, Jesus Christ willingly faced the ultimate enemy—sin and death itself—to redeem us. In John 15:13, Jesus declared, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (New International Version). Currey embodied this love in battle; Christ perfected it on the cross.
As we take the bread, let it remind us of Christ’s body, broken like Currey’s bold stand amid the chaos, offered freely for our healing and wholeness. In John 6:51-55, Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. . . . Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” And as we drink from the cup, may it speak of his blood, shed in the face of overwhelming darkness, securing our eternal rescue and freedom.
Lord, thank you for your grace that points us to your selfless love. As we commune, draw us closer to the Savior who gave all to save us. Amen.
Quentin Davis is a financial planner with WealthWise Financial Group and the associate minister at New Burlington Church of Christ in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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