Honoring our Veterans

In November we celebrated Veterans Day. This month we will celebrate the birthday of the Prince of Peace. There is an important connection. So, I’d like to share with you my thoughts from a homily I gave at the Panorama City Chapel on November 11th.

On Veterans Day we remember those who have served in our armed forces over the many years of our nation’s history. I have lived through 5 wars, beginning with WW2. I admit to having conflicting feelings about the current one in Iraq. I confess to wondering if it can be said that today’s military can be said to be dying for their country rather than something else. Yet, I do not want to dishonor them or their families. Their sacrifice is very real.

Lee and I have a grandson-in-law who has served in Iraq and one who is there now. Our neighbor up the street served three or four tours there resulting in mental health concerns for his family. He is now retiring from the army and has a poster in his yard proclaiming: “War is not the answer”. 

Here comes the conflicting part for me. I got a sign from my neighbor and displayed it in my yard. Then, I watched the recent television series on World War 2 by Ken Burns. It brought back memories of my childhood during that war. It seems trite to say that the hardship and suffering shown were huge. I think that while war doesn’t solve anything, it may be necessary at times. So, I took down the yard sign.

What I want to say to you is that regardless of whether war is the answer or not, it is simply a fact. It causes untold suffering. But, it can be redeemed by God. That is to say, God can deliver us from the sin of war and restore us in communion with him and with each other.

A passage from the Book of Job attests to the fact that the redemption of our suffering is in God alone. Job loses everything: his family and his wealth. His world was turned upside down. His friends try to convince him that his suffering is the result of his sin. But, Job remains steadfast in his belief in his own righteousness. He is convinced that God will vindicate him saying with great certainty:

“I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last day he will stand upon the earth and I shall see him and not as a stranger.”

This marvelous statement of faith is part of the opening anthem of our burial service in the Book of Common Prayer. We believe that God is always with us in our suffering and that death is swallowed up in the victory of the resurrection. Christ calls us to be part of this victory.

We need to support our troops by seeing that they and their families are cared for. Our love and support can heal wounds and give assurance that God is present even in suffering. We need to honor their sacrifice by working for peace. We need to honor them by making sure that they receive the long term psychological and physical benefits they need.

I believe that war is not Christ’s way. It is an ugly fact of human sinfulness. We need to speak out for a just and speedy end to the horror and futility of war as a way of handling disputes between nations.

Clergyman and peace activist William Sloan Coffin reminds us:

“Peace does not come rolling in on the wheels of inevitability. We can’t just wish for peace. We have to will it, fight for it, suffer for it, demand it from our governments as if peace were God’s most cherished hope for humanity, as indeed it is.”

The achievement of peace will honor both our veterans and the Prince of Peace whom we follow.