During the announcements today, I asked that all those who were currently serving, or had family currently serving in the military, to please stand. Then I asked all those who had served, or were family of someone who had served, to stand. It was a humbling moment. Nearly everyone in the assembly stood.
Even though Memorial Day is really for remembering and honoring those who died in service, I believe that everyone who serves, along with their families, experience death or loss of some kind, even if they survive physically. Loss of limb, loss of family, loss of time, loss of relationship, loss of mental health, etc. There is nothing about war and military service that comes without sacrifice. As the saying goes: all gave some, some gave all.
Some may wonder why this wasn’t part of the worship service itself. One thing I have said is that God isn’t just American, that God is God of the whole world. But there is something else, too. Worship is meant to be all about God and for God. Certainly, we put our humanness to it in singing, praying, listening, etc., but, in the end, it is, or at least should be, all about God. In other words, everything should be done to build up the body of Christ and to bring glory to God, not ourselves.
With all that said, let me say one more thing: thank you to each and every soldier, past, present and future. While we pray that there come a day when there will be peace on earth and soldiers become obsolete, we appreciate your sacrifices made until that time!
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