Veterans' Day Thoughts

  Yesterday was Veterans' Day, a time set aside for slowing down and giving thanks for those who have served this country and those who continue to do so.  I've always had a lot of respect for the Armed Forces--as a kid who spent his formative years reading Tom Clancy novels, the Armed Forces was always portrayed as powerful and fast, two aspects that tend to capture the fascination of little boys.  As I've grown, I've continued to admire those who have chosen to go and serve.  I was ready to enlist as a chaplain in the Air Force Reserves at one point, but the unpredictability of it scared me off, as well as the requirement of one weekend a month, a sacrifice that would be quite challenging as a solo pastor in a small church.  The decision to serve is not an easy one, and I am grateful for those who have chosen to make it, often placing their own lives in harm's way so that others may enjoy the freedoms that come with living in this country.

  As I was lying in bed this morning, I was thinking about what it means to honor those who serve. It's an easy thing to say thank you once, but it's much harder to live in a way that reflects our gratitude.  In essence, this is the struggle of Christianity, too--how to express gratitude continuously, rather than just doing so on certain occasions.

  It seems to me that one way to honor the service of our veterans is to live in such a way that strives for peace.  We certainly look forward to the day when our guns will no longer be needed, and when we will no longer have to send men and women to places where death looms around every unknown corner.  While the reality of sin mean we will not achieve this until Christ returns, we can do our best to strive for this now, to live for peace and work for peace, urging peaceful solutions to the conflicts that arise as well as reaching out to political leaders in the hopes that they, too, might lift their voices and work for peace.  Perhaps the cries for peace would be so overwhelming that the ears of those who sow violence would be overwhelmed by those who surround them.  Perhaps the seeds of hatred that have been planted would be trampled by feet that are willing to serve and to love, selflessly, and war will be no more.

  I know that such dreams are too lofty for these chaotic times.  We have been at war in Afghanistan for far too long.  There is war in Syria, and turbulence in many other spots around the globe.  Peace seems like a distant dream.

  But Christ has promised to bring us peace at the last.  We can dream of it, we can hope of it, because our dreams and hopes are rooted in him.  We will not need guns to achieve peace--the Son of Man will come riding on the clouds, and death and violence will be no more.  May our very lives reflect this hope--may we demonstrate to the world a little slice of what peace looks like, that our love may overwhelm.