Memorial Day Thoughts

A sermon preached at Faith Episcopal Church on May 28, 2006.

A giant nearly ten feet tall stepped out from the Philistine line into the open, Goliath from Gath. He had a bronze helmet on his head and was dressed in armor—126 pounds of it! He wore bronze shin guards and carried a bronze sword. His spear was like a fence rail—the spear tip alone weighed over fifteen pounds. His shield bearer walked ahead of him.

Goliath stood there and called out to the Israelite troops, "Why bother using your whole army? Am I not Philistine enough for you? And you're all committed to Saul, aren't you? So pick your best fighter and pit him against me. If he gets the upper hand and kills me, the Philistines will all become your slaves. But if I get the upper hand and kill him, you'll all become our slaves and serve us. I challenge the troops of Israel this day. Give me a man. Let us fight it out together!"

When Saul and his troops heard the Philistine's challenge, they were terrified and lost all hope.

Then David – still a youth – came before Saul and said

"Master," said David, "don't give up hope. I'm ready to go and fight this Philistine."

Saul answered David, "You can't go and fight this Philistine. You're too young and inexperienced—and he's been at this fighting business since before you were born."

David said, "I've been a shepherd, tending sheep for my father. Whenever a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I'd go after it, knock it down, and rescue the lamb. If it turned on me, I'd grab it by the throat, wring its neck, and kill it. Lion or bear, it made no difference—I killed it. And I'll do the same to this Philistine pig who is taunting the troops of God-Alive. God, who delivered me from the teeth of the lion and the claws of the bear, will deliver me from this Philistine."

Saul said, "Go. And God help you!"

(This version of the story of David and Goliath is from The Message)

David, full of courage, seasoned with youthful bravado, put himself between his people and the threat of a menacing giant, defeat, and slavery. We all know the story; the boy triumphed over the giant with a few rocks plucked from the creek bed and eventually became the monarch of all of the tribes of Israel. His story embodies all that is noble and courageous about fighting for your country.

Memorial Day has always been a dicey preaching assignment for me. It is never any secret that I think that war is a habit that humanity needs to break. That sentiment is sometimes heard as being unsupportive of those whose feet are in the boots on the ground and whose lives are on the line. As I understand it, however, these are two completely different subjects. The people who serve in the armed forces, those who are willing to serve do deserve our respect, concern and gratitude for putting themselves in harm’s way as David did. American soldiers are buried by the thousands in the fields of Europe. Their presence under those endless rows of crosses could never be thought of as anything less than noble and self-sacrificing.

Our returning soldiers also deserve our care. That is why Memorial Day and the Veterans Administration exist. The history of honoring and supporting those who have fought for this country began before it was a country. In 1636, when the Pilgrims were at war with the Pequot Indians, a law was enacted that stated that disabled veterans would be supported by the colony. It would take the country a couple of hundred years to extend benefits to the families of those disabled or killed.

In May of 1868, a proclamation from General John Logan designated May 30^th for what became known as Decoration Day. A hundred years later, in 1971, Memorial Day became a national holiday, to be celebrated on the last Monday in May. Putting flowers on their graves seems like a small gesture.

Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address closed with a phrase that became the mission statement of the Veteran’s Administration.

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

I think it’s only slightly less difficult to be a returning veteran today than it was during the Viet Nam era. The disillusionment about the war was taken out on people who did not deserve it. They were right to be confused, hurt and angry at being scapegoats for political decisions. Today’s soldiers returning at least do not face angry crowds and accusations. It’s good that as a nation we have grown up enough to focus any disapproval we might feel on those who make the decisions to send our men and women to fight rather than on those who are ordered to go.

Israel is the only country in the world with universal compulsory service. Both men and women are drafted and 80% of those who receive their notice actually serve. Israel is a country surrounded by hostile neighbors still calling for its destruction. All Israelis accept that they may be called upon to defend their home. As Americans, we have no such expectation. We are lucky enough to have people willing to sign up. Because our soldiers are willing to step up and put on the uniform is all the more reason to be very careful in using them to settle our disputes.

While I am convinced that the best way to honor those who serve is to commit to the Prince of Peace and seek ways to learn war no more, no one’s sacrifice should be taken lightly or forgotten. This poem by Maggie DeMay is a reminder that we who do not serve have a huge responsibility to those who have.

No one remembers the soldier
once a hero
now
another old warrior
telling stories in the corridors
of the VA
waiting for their doctors

A timeline carved in flesh
generation by generation
WWI
WWII
Korea
Vietnam
Desert Storm
Bosnia
Afganistan
Iraq

Bodies and minds mangled
scars visible
or hidden deep within
missing limbs
missing lives
missing time

Days fade into dusk
the old ones pass on
flags drape coffins
of the dead going home
soldiers do
what soldiers always have done
and when it's all over
nobody mourns

Let us pray.

Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.