Memorial Day is past. Summer is here. There were no visits to family burial plots this year. No services for me in the church cemetery. No honor guard appearing before worship to salute the dead with a firing of guns. No, my Memorial Day was rather calm and quiet, reflective in a different way.
Sunday, in worship, our Pastor invited us to name those soldiers who had been killed in service to the United States of America. The list was not long, but the mention of names that were carried in hearts was a poignant and powerful moment. One by one those names were again lifted before God in the pastoral prayer.
As I prepared for prayer, I remembered my four uncles who served in the military in World War II and Korea--Elmer, Ollie, Alan, and Harold. They all returned from the war, but a neighbor and friend, Kenneth Emil Hoehne, did not. He died in Germany while serving with General Patton's 3rd Army Infantry.
I also remembered L.Cpl. Leon Deraps, who died May 6, 2006, while serving in the Iraq. His was the first war casualty that I remember from Moniteau County, Missouri. His death left a family and community in deep grief. I remembered as I prayed on Sunday.
And I think about how many of these young people did make a tremendous sacrifice--whether they died or whether they lived through the battles of war. Many served because they were sent away from families and farms to fight. They gave a significant time to serve. Many came home in silence. Something changed in them while they were away. Many are still ill with the effects of what they experienced.
And so, I prayed on Sunday and pledged that I would do all I can to remember the names and know what I could to honor their sacrifices. But I also prayed and pledged that I would do all I could to serve for peace in the world, so that others would not have lives interrupted by fighting and death. That, it seems to me, is one of the best ways to cherish the memories of those who have given their all.
O God, in your tender mercy, enfold in your arms all who were lost in the fighting and their families who still remember in ways that we cannot. Heal those broken spirits that have returned in silence with no voice to plead their cause. Let justice roll down and let your peace prevail, now and forever. In the name of the One who is the Prince of Peace. Amen.
Sunday, in worship, our Pastor invited us to name those soldiers who had been killed in service to the United States of America. The list was not long, but the mention of names that were carried in hearts was a poignant and powerful moment. One by one those names were again lifted before God in the pastoral prayer.
As I prepared for prayer, I remembered my four uncles who served in the military in World War II and Korea--Elmer, Ollie, Alan, and Harold. They all returned from the war, but a neighbor and friend, Kenneth Emil Hoehne, did not. He died in Germany while serving with General Patton's 3rd Army Infantry.
I also remembered L.Cpl. Leon Deraps, who died May 6, 2006, while serving in the Iraq. His was the first war casualty that I remember from Moniteau County, Missouri. His death left a family and community in deep grief. I remembered as I prayed on Sunday.
And I think about how many of these young people did make a tremendous sacrifice--whether they died or whether they lived through the battles of war. Many served because they were sent away from families and farms to fight. They gave a significant time to serve. Many came home in silence. Something changed in them while they were away. Many are still ill with the effects of what they experienced.
And so, I prayed on Sunday and pledged that I would do all I can to remember the names and know what I could to honor their sacrifices. But I also prayed and pledged that I would do all I could to serve for peace in the world, so that others would not have lives interrupted by fighting and death. That, it seems to me, is one of the best ways to cherish the memories of those who have given their all.
O God, in your tender mercy, enfold in your arms all who were lost in the fighting and their families who still remember in ways that we cannot. Heal those broken spirits that have returned in silence with no voice to plead their cause. Let justice roll down and let your peace prevail, now and forever. In the name of the One who is the Prince of Peace. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment