My father was a veteran. He was drafted into the army during his college years and ended up in Korea amidst a war. He rose to the rank of sergeant and was a sharpshooter in the military police. He was put in command of a squad of Turkish soldiers. We honored his request, in 2013, to place his remains at rest in the Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in Bloomfield, Missouri. In my home office, I have the flag which draped Dad’s casket prior to his burial and his military medals.
Every year, on Veteran’s Day, I recall an important childhood memory. When I was in elementary school, some friends and I liked to imagine we were soldiers in the army fighting the Nazis. We would reenact episodes of a 1960s TV show entitled ‘Combat.’ In the back of my closet, I kept my dad’s army helmet, canteen, and ammo belt. Anytime we played ‘Combat,’ that equipment became my ‘uniform.’ Those items allowed me to identify with a part of Dad’s life that he seldom discussed.
When I was fifteen years of age, Dad invited me to go with him to a Veteran’s of Foreign Wars event in Owensboro, Kentucky. Although he was a pastor, he gathered with them a few times a year. It was my first time to be in a situation with so many veterans and it made quite an impact on me. As we drove home from that event, I asked Dad how he felt being among all those veterans. He said, ‘Well, since I’m a veteran too, it never feels strange. There are stories in that room that can never be told. Some of those men carry sorrow and guilt. It’s an honor when they trust me with their stories.’
Through the years, I’ve thought about Dad and all the veterans I have known and ministered to as their pastor. One man was General Patton’s jeep driver who held secrets. One man was a drill sergeant at Parris Island who carried tremendous guilt. One woman was a communication specialist in the Women’s Army Corps during WWII. I served several veterans in San Antonio. When these stories were entrusted to me, I better understood what my pastor-faither felt when he gathered with the VFW group. Each veteran has been proud of their service, understanding that conflict is part of human society. Yet, I’ve never ministered to a veteran who glorified violence or conflict.
This week, we are moving from an election cycle that has been full of conflict. Many of the promotional ads have been vitriolic. Some candidates unjustifiably glorified violence, evil, hatred and conflict. Whether we are satisfied with election results or not, we are glad these repulsive ads are now off the air so we can move beyond the rancor. Conflict must never have the last word.
Next Monday, on Veteran’s Day, as we move beyond an election marked by conflict, let us renew ourselves to being the Church God calls us to be. In this world, conflict, clashes, strife, contention, disagreements, and competitions are commonplace. Yet, this is not what God calls us to invest in with our gifts, resources or energies. Telling our understanding of God’s Truth is important, even if it differs from the understanding of another person. However, living God’s Truth is our mission. And relating through God’s love is essential if we are to be followers of Jesus.
Beloved, let us renew ourselves to be what God needs us to be in this conflicted world. God needs fewer church members who are infatuated with Jesus and more church members who are intimately involved in a relationship of discipleship with Jesus Christ. Let us be what God needs us to be. Let us love one another and relate God’s love every day. AMEN (May it be so.)
