Thought for Today
Genesis 4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out to the field." And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him.
Genesis 14:2 these kings made war with King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
Mark 13:7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come.
Acts 10:1 In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called. . . 3 One afternoon at about three o'clock he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius." 4 He stared at him in terror and said, "What is it, Lord?" He answered, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.
Today is Memorial Day. As I wrote last Friday, on Memorial Day we honor all who have sacrificed their lives in military service to our nation. On Pentecost we honor God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. Both are worthy of being honored. We know that some who sacrificed were Christian. We know that some practiced other faiths; and some were not people of faith. All, however, were motivated enough to put themselves in harm’s way.
Memorial Day is not a religious holiday, not a liturgical holiday and the very focus today on war and the effect of war should be as far removed from all religions as could be. Yet, killing and war (killing on an industrial scale) are a part of our Judeo-Christian heritage as far back as Genesis 4:8. Christians should know and understand that the entire New Testament occurs during the Roman Empire’s occupation of Israel. During Jesus’ life, ministry and death, Israel was garrisoned by foreign troops. Christians and Jews should both know that there were multiple rebellions against the Roman occupation, ultimately resulting in the destruction of Jerusalem and finally, another diaspora.
Irrespective of religion and even the total absence of any form of belief, everyone should know the answer to the question, “Has there ever been a war without anyone dying or anyone killing anyone else?” Unless they are amicably resolved, all conflicts on any scale can ultimately lead to the loss of life.
I was born during WWII. War and the aftermath of wars have framed much of the background to my own life. As a youth, I watched John Wayne seemingly single-handedly win the war in the Pacific. Later, as a young adult, I watched the 1962 movie depicting how John Wayne single-handedly assured the success of D-Day.
The movies of my youth presented war and loss of life in a sanitized fashion. Movies like The Sands of Iwo Jima or In Harm’s Way did not show the visceral impact of the horrors of war as do the movies of today. Saving Private Ryan and the series Band of Brothers and Pacific do a much better job of presenting the tragedy of the loss of so many lives on both sides.
Today, as I offer my prayers of thanksgiving for all those who have paid the ultimate price to ensure my freedom to live as a child of God, I will also remember the words of the prophet Jeremiah, “6:14 They have treated the wound of my people carelessly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.”
As a Christian, I am aware of the horrors of war, the tragedy of the loss of so many lives. I know that Jesus understood and understands the sorrow. I have read and reflected on the Parable of the Vineyard and see in that parable a reflection of our continued perpetuation of Cain’s ancient sin of fratricide.
Has there ever been a war without loss of life? Has there ever been a conflict whose resolution did not affect the lives of all involved? I cannot imagine how that could possibly be.
Today, as I offer those prayers of thanksgiving, I know that once again there are “wars and rumors of wars.” I am alarmed. Not in fear of the imminent end, but in the certainty that there will long be those whose memory will be honored on Memorial Day.
But I will also remember the prayers and alms of that Roman Centurion and am comforted in knowing that our prayers, our alms, our lives and actions of faith will themselves “ascend as a memorial before God.”
Stay safe, offer your own prayers of thanksgiving today, trust God,
Pastor Ray