The Sacrifice of Service - Veteran's Day
The Sacrifice of Service
Nov 11, 2007
Luke 20:20-26
Luke 20:20 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
23He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24"Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?"
25"Caesar's," they replied.
He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
26They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Simple, but profound.
Concise, but thought provoking.
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Whose portrait and inscription? On a coin? On a person?
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Humanity was created in the image of God – male and female – in the image of God. God has a purpose for each human life – for each person to be part of God’s extended presence in the world. God created people to love like God loves; passionately, sacrificially, freely.
Freely – there’s the rub. We have a choice to love or not to love, to render or not to render. For choice is part of God’s image. God chose to create the world, and humanity. Choice then, becomes part of God’s image in our lives.
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Today is Veteran’s Day, and while the Gospel is a message of peace, it is a peace that comes at great cost. Our peace with God came at the cost of Jesus’ life, and our peace requires the continuing surrender of our own lives and wills to the purpose of God. For most of us it is an ongoing battle, and often not an easy one.
I knew I wanted to recognize our veterans this week, those we had stand during the Children’s Time, and I struggled with how to honor our veterans in the context of the Gospel. I came to realize that perhaps, nowhere else in our culture is Christ’s sacrifice for us better illustrated than in the willingness of our military forces to serve, at risk and sacrifice of their own lives, to defend freedom not only for those they love, but also for people they do not even know. Jesus did not take on only the burden of sin for those He knew and loved, but for countless millions who were yet unborn. Jesus sacrificed his life not only for those who believed in him, but even for those who opposed, criticized, and even condemned him.
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
It is difficult for me to understand any political, cultural, religious or philosophical viewpoint that glorifies killing other human beings. Yet, historically, and even today, there are cultures and movements in which that viewpoint is normative. We witnessed on the television people in other parts of the world celebrating, dancing in the street after the attack on the World Trade Center on 9-11. I also know that there are times when, for the greater good of humanity, evil must be opposed, even with force if necessary.
It seems that the perspective of the US military is unique in human history. While many other cultures may celebrate the battlefield casualties of the opposition, the U.S. veterans I’ve met, who have taken human lives on the battlefield, are not eager to tell the stories. There is no glory in body counts – there is rather a profound sense of sadness in the loss of human life, even when necessitated by our commitment to confront evil and injustice.
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
While we are an imperfect country, which some folks delight to remind us, America has a history of uniquely unselfish motives around the world.
Colin Powell, at a conference in England, was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of ‘empire building' by George Bush. Powell answered by saying, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return." It became very quiet in the room. That is a unique worldview – fighting for human freedom, not physical territory.
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Then there was an international engineering conference in France a couple of years ago shortly after the Christmas Eve tsunami. During a break one of the French engineers came back into the room saying "Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?"
A Boeing engineer replied quietly: "Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have 12 such vessels which can be dispatched to provide relief anywhere in the world." Once again, it is a profoundly unique worldview that military capability be deployed for relief in a natural disaster.
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, 'whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English.' He then asked, ‘Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?'
The American Admiral suggested, “perhaps it is because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.' Unique in the history of humanity, we did not intervene to impose our culture but to defend theirs; not to make them speak English, but to let them continue speaking French.
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
History has never known another national military force committed to protect others from domination, rather than to advance it’s own national expansion. The British did it in India and Pakistan, the Soviets all over the Slavic countries, the Germans all over Europe. The Romans, the Greeks, the Persians, the Babylonians… It is the history of human conflict – expand our territory. That is one reason our presence in other countries is suspect – most cultural frameworks presume ‘empire building.’
In February of this year, Eddie Jeffers, a 23 year old Army Sgt reflected that the US is not a nation at war, but a nation whose military is at war. The sacrifices made by the civilian population during WW2 with rations and sacrifices made the war a united effort. For most of us, unless we have loved ones in the fray, life goes on as normal, unaffected by the conflict. We complain of rising gas prices, but we are not rationed. We have all the food we want, the leisures and conveniences we are accustomed to. No blackouts, no sacrifice. But without the willingness of young men and women to serve on foreign soil, our lives might well be very, very different.
Not only have our veterans defended the citizens of our country, but they have served hundreds of thousands of citizens in other countries, both in defense and in emergency relief.
Even in the midst of conflict, the American soldier seems to be unique in the history of human warfare. We were witness to, and part of, the blanket project initiated by American soldiers in Iraq. No military objective or territorial conquest, merely human persons extending grace in a place of turmoil and risk; extending grace, even to those who might be tomorrow’s enemy. And we know at least one of those soldiers, because of the supportive influence of this congregation, accepted Christ as his savior.
When this congregation’s soldier support project launched just over a year ago, our response was outstanding and overwhelmingly generous. I’m asking that we do it again. Everyone of us can, and everyone of us needs to be part of this. Whether it is bringing in a can of tuna fish, or a jar peanut butter, or a Christmas ornament, each of us can let our soldiers know we appreciate them. Now remember, these are 18-25 year olds – most of them won’t appreciate a Frank Sinatra tape! Think of what your grandchildren, or great grandchildren of that age might like… better yet, ask them! Even a card saying they are not forgotten, that their service is appreciated and not taken for granted. Mail from home is a morale booster for anyone away from their loved ones, especially for those who are in places of danger.
As we watch this video let’s ask ourselves how we might render our selves to be an expression of God’s loving, encouraging, redeeming grace.
It is a choice to render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, a choice to render to God what is God’s, or a even choice to retreat into ourselves trying to retain what in the end was never ours to begin with.
Only in losing our lives in loving service to others will we ever have fullness of life.
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
