Psalm 94:17 If the Lord had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
In my life as a pastor I have gotten to know several veterans.... veterans of every conflict since World War II. There are amazing stories to be told by those who either volunteered or were drafted to serve in the military. Most who have served are pretty reticent to tell their stories, but the stories are amazing when they begin to flow. What are most powerful for me are those stories of survival: survival in the face of huge odds. A jump out of a crashing bomber, the beaches of Normandy, the frozen Yalu River, the heat of DaNang, and the eerie still of a Mosul evening. The stories that I have heard all bear witness to unanswerable questions of "Why me?" and gratefulness for survival.
What all the veterans that I have known will also tell you is that God has no special protection for veterans or for those in war. Their stories can be examples for the rest of us, for those of us who live our daily lives in less obvious danger. But through stories of survival in Normandy and in Baghdad we learn again that we are dependent on God for every good gift, even for life itself.
Thanks be to God for those who have served. And thanks be to God for the gift of life.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Join us this evening (Wednesday) for Holden Evening Prayer at 7 pm.
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