Reflections on Memorial Day

At harvesttime, three of the thirty chiefs went down and joined David at the fortress of Adullam, while a force of Philistines were camped in the Rephaim Valley.  At that time, David was in the fortress, and a Philistine fort was in Bethlehem.  David had a craving and said, "If only someone would give me a drink of water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem."  So the three warriors broke through the Philistine camp and drew water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem and brought it back to David.  But he refused to drink it and poured it out to the Lord.

 "The Lord forbid that I should do that," he said.  "Isn't this the blood of men who risked their lives?"  So he refused to drink it.  II Samuel 23:13-17 (ceb).

 Monday is Memorial Day.  Approaching that day brings me to consider certain aspects relevant to an observation of such a memorial.  I first began to get my thoughts together for a sermon for England's Remembrance Day several years ago at Skipsea Methodist Church in East Yorkshire.  Shortly before that particular Sunday, I had read of a Veterans' Day service at the huge Prestonwood Baptist Church in the Dallas area where paratroopers were lowered down from the (seemingly) very high ceilings of the huge church as the choir and orchestra led the singing of patriotic hymns.  To me, such a spectacle does some serious issue-clouding.   I also remember during the Desert Storm war sitting propped up on pillows in my bed watching on television the air strikes over Iraq while an excited voice-over told us of the very advanced weapons systems being used and what destruction such weapons could inflict.

Both scenarios make me very uncomfortable.  So, what do I do with Memorial Day?  One thing, remember the words of Civil War General Sherman on the subject of war:  "War is at best barbarism.  Its  glory is all moonshine.  It is only those who have never fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation.  War is hell."
Another thing I recall is a World War II Bill Mauldin cartoon:  Willie and Joe, in Italy behind the battle line, dirty and exhausted, see a clean-shaven, well groomed young trooper striding by obviously with a chip on his shoulder.  "That cain't be no combat man--he's lookin' for a fight!"  No combat veteran goes looking for more fighting.....

I think it is very important to make a distinction between remembering the men and women who have given their lives in defense of country and home, as well as the survivors of battle, and war itself as a political decision.   

The Rev. Donald Sensing has written about war:  "There's something about it that we need to be aware of.  There are many admirable features found among men and women in wartime, as writers from the Roman era on to our own have observed...there is a spirit of sacrifice for a greater good.  Charity and self-giving.  Soldiers come to know some of the finest sentiments that human beings can know...there is fear and anger, resignation, hope and despair."  He says that the chief emotion at work on the battlefield is an unlikely one:  love.  " Soldiers do not fight for queen or country, or for mom, apple pie and the girl next door...they fight for their buddies."

It is said that William Manchester went AWOL from a field hospital on Okinawa when he learned his unit was scheduled to make an amphibious assault behind Japanese lines...and though terribly wounded...he couldn't bear the thought of his buddies in mortal danger without being there to help.

 David, in the passage from Scripture quoted above, in a moment of longing said, "Oh that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!"  Three of his veteran campaigners go through great risks in enemy territory to bring back water from the Bethlehem well for David.  But David cannot drink it:  instead he pours it out as a thank offering to their bravery.
Somehow, the depth issues of life...love, sacrifice, giving one's utmost...these qualities become obscured from our awareness in our comfortable, middle-class lives.  Instead of being challenged on Sunday mornings in church, so often worship becomes a feel-good community event or a staging area for Sunday lunch with friends. 

We tend to forget that we are free because of the risks of mighty men and women who have bought the cup of freedom, sometimes at the cost of their lives.  Another thing which becomes obscured in the midst of life's busyness and trivialities is that, underneath, we are all brothers and sisters.  About fifteen years ago, in the midst of a tour of a WWII battleship, a pastor from Maine observed an elderly Japanese man bringing a wreath, and reverently and in obvious sadness tossing it over the side of the ship while the tour lecturer continued on.  But the pastor was not the only one observing the Japanese man.  He saw one of the American vets step forward, salute and hold the salute until the Japanese gentleman turned and saw him.  He returned the salute -- they faced each other with tears and then each returned to their separate ways...a moment of grace and recognition.

Hallowed are the sacrifices made, and today we specially recognize and remember those sacrifices.  However, Rev. Peter Storey (a South African professor and who was a chaplain to Nelson Mandela as well as a peace activist) has pointed out, "Ultimately, Christians have a higher loyalty than that of flag or nation.   We belong to a wider commonwealth.  When Christ was nailed to the cross, he nailed us to our neighbors, breaking down the divisions between us.  All Christians, whether pacifists or proponents of "just war," are bound to acknowledge that for those who follow Jesus, all wars are civil wars.  All wars, everywhere, are a form of fratricide."  And I would add all people, whether Christian or not, are brothers and sisters. 

From  the prophet Micah:  "They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.  Nation will no longer take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.  All people will be at peace, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken."

May that soon come to fruition.

Alone or Lonely?

Dr. W.J.A. Power used to say when teaching Perkins students the Psalms that the Psalmists do not speak to us so much as for us.  I love that thought.  Perhaps that's why the 23rd Psalm is so well known and loved.  We all experience the sense of loneliness at times and feel the need to reach out somewhere to someone.  Loneliness has been described as the number one problem in America.  I don't doubt that for a minute. 
It's wonderful to have time to sit with a good cup of coffee and listen to the birds singing, chirping, going about their business...to be alone and enjoy it.  But consider the obverse of that:  sitting at your desk with people all around you and wishing to God you had someone to talk to or feel close to.  That's the difference between being alone and loneliness.
Several years ago, my cousin Beulah met a guy she liked, they went to dinner together and she forgot about him.  One evening her phone rang and it was that guy.  He told her he had just been awarded his PhD in mathematics and since he didn't know who else would be interested in his accomplishment, he needed someone to share that with so he called her.  As she related that to me she expressed her astonishment.  "I don't know him that well and, poor guy, he feels he doesn't know anyone any better!"  That sounds like loneliness.
Suzanne Gordon who has written a book on loneliness says that an important ingredient of loneliness is a sense of hopelessness....that things will never be different.  Tomorrow will always be like right now...in my worst moment.
Ah, but we can turn to the Psalmist.  He records his lonely moments and then what brings him up out of it.  Sometimes spectacularly.

     The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
     He makes me lie down in green pastures;
     he leads me beside still waters.....
    
     Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
     I fear no evil;
     for you are with me.....

The invitation to such a personal relationship is at the core of the message of the Bible.  An old rabbinical saying is: "Before every human being there goes a band of angels crying, 'Behold the image of God.'"
When a spasm of loneliness threatens, just remember there's a band of angels circling you, green pastures and still waters await.  So, "be ye lifted up!!"

Meditation on Ithaka

I was captivated this week by a poem Ithaka written in his native Greek by C. P. Cavafy.  The poem arrived by way of the blog http://revpatrickcomerford.blogspot.com.  Rev. Comerford quotes it in both Greek and a translation in English.  I haven't read Greek in several years so here it is in English:

As you set out for Ithaka
hope the voyage is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
angry Posedon--don't be afraid of them;
you'll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
wild Poseidon--you won't encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

Hope the voyage is a long one.
May there be many a sunny morning when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you come into the harbors seen for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind--
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to gather stores of knowledge from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you are destined for.
But do not hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you are old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.

Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.

And, if you find her poor, Ithaka won't have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you will have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.

Have you ever been told, "act your age?"  I have heard that expression many times...especially directed at someone who is perceived as acting undignified.  I loved it when Gloria Steinem was told she didn't look like 50 and she answered (extending her arms outward), "I'm 50.  This is what 50 looks like." 
Ten years ago, when I set out to live in England for awhile, I heard many comments like, "At your age!  Well, I admire you for that."  What for? Why not go to England at any age.  I may decide to go to England, or Kenya, this fall.  I may not, but it's all a part of the journey, not doing something that is age-appropriate.
The aging process does bring on some new considerations.  For me, it occurs to wonder at times, is this the end of journeying, the end of new experiences, new wisdoms, new appreciations?  If reaching the beautiful little isle of Ithaka is a figure for reaching the end of one's life, why fold one's hands, sit down and wait for the end? 
It's about the journey....not just reaching the end.  When we are blessed with long life,  all the experiences, all the new ports we encounter, these things perfume our way....and continue to perfume.  I intend to continue to seek new ports, learn from new scholars, and buy more perfume... and lengthen that journey as far as I can.  Thanks be to God.

As a little child....

This past Sunday was Children's Sunday at our church.  Consequently, this week I've been thinking of Jesus' words concerning children and wishing I could have been preaching on the subject somewhere Sunday.  So I'll preach to you!  (I am aware that actual preaching is an event that grows out of the connection between the preachER and the preachED TO....so this is really an outline.)

     Luke:18:15-17
     People were bringing babies to Jesus so that he would bless them.  When the disciples saw them,
     they scolded them.  Then Jesus called them to him and said, "Allow the children to come to me.
     Don't forbid them, because God's kingdom belongs to people like these children.  I assure you that
     whoever does not welcome God's kingdom like a child will never enter it.  (CEB)

What is it about a child that Jesus points to?
     **The classic image of a child is that of the powerless, without capacity to reward or repay.
The little one is utterly at the wishes or whims of its care giver.  As I think over my list      of friends, acquantances, former parishioners, I am reminded to question my own motives with even those whom I hold closest.  Do I shower more attention on those who can benefit me?  Rev. Larry James in Dallas once said in a workshop that we will be judged on how we treat people who cannot help us in any way.

     **A child is vulnerable.  We mature out of vulnerability to varying levels.  We learn to be so cagey.  Nobody can put anything over on us.  In fact, that's close to the essence of "coolness."  Much as I like to be considered cool,  trying to live honestly with who I am challenges my coolness at times.  I have to be willing to be criticized when I am embracing an important principle or am asserting something about being me that is honest.  I have to risk...being vulnerable.
A child is vulnerable to what adults may or may not want to invest in them.  It seems to always be difficult to get sufficient volunteers to teach the classes of small children in the church.  They don't know to thank us, they recognize us for our contributions before others nor praise us.  Mike Gilchrist told about his first experiences in church.  As a preteen, he began walking up the street to a church where he knew noone.  He sat alone in worship every Sunday and checked off items in the bulletin as they transpired.  One Sunday a well-dressed older woman sat by him, looked into his pimply face and said "Hi." From then on, he got to feeling comfortable in her presence and, with her encouragement, he eventually joined that church....and became a terrific minister. 

     **A child is loyal.  Even when it's not in his/her best interests.  A parent can so often get away with abusing a child because the child is so loyal and will actually help in the cover-up of mistreatment. 

"Being as a child" perhaps refers to the capacity to trust fully.  When busyness, or lack of caring leads to alienating our child, or anyone's child, we deprive ourselves of the best, least self-interested friend we'll ever have.

When the church alienates the poor, the powerless, the broken, the handicapped, it loses so much and never knows what it missed.  Apparently, receiving them is receiving Jesus. 
 

Transformation

I'm finally back!  I've been letting other things intervene.  Enough.
The tragedy in Boston is on my mind (as on yours as well, I'm sure). 
My granddaughter, Eva Englert, who now lives in Boston expressed her feelings about it
so well I want to share it:
   May the depth of our compassion in the midst of horror and tragedy--
   the compassion we have witnessed and experienced today in Boston--
   become a part of our daily lives.  May it be not only with those in Boston
   who suffer this moment, but with those who suffer in Israel, in Palestine,
   in Somalia, in South Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan, and across our
   country and around the world.  May it reach so deep and cling so hard
   that it transforms us.  Let us not forget that the tomb is still empty.  The
   promise of renewal and Shalom is still there. 

Thanks, Eva. 

  

Lenten Fields

I am attempting to follow the Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast....which asks that one perform one action per day which results in less carbon.  I receive an email each day with a suggestion.  So I am, at least, reflecting on my own carbon footprint.
However, yesterday I made a decision which I am still weighing:  At a dealership, I        drove a smaller car with more mph (therefore, less carbon) and found that I liked the Ford Fusion quite well.  But I decided against having car notes again.  However, on the other hand, I drive fewer miles each week than I used to and save in-town chores for the must-do trips.  I do think I will buy the more economical car as soon as it seems practicable.  Gee whiz!  You plug in your Iphone and have music, can answer your phone with a little microphone built into the car just over your head, then hang up and your music comes on again.  You may already enjoy that in your car but I so far have not been able to accomplish that.
Ah well.

How far have we gone?

I am saddened tonight at the thought of a six-year-old in an underground bunker.  And I'm not even over the Sandy Hook massacre yet.  How violent have we become?
  I've been reading an article in Smithsonian magazine by Ron Rosenbaum about Jaron Lanier. Lanier, the writer says, "was one of the creators of our current digital reality" and who "was an early advocate of making information absolutely free." Downloading artistic works, music sharing that bypasses the artist, for example, damages the whole economy which hurts the middle class in the main. He sees the direction that across-the-board freedom of all information combined with the anonymity that the internet enables allows us to escape responsibility for our words and actions.  Instead of a utopian ideal of the will of the masses lifting us above violence and individual hegemony, he sees a mob rule, "not an enabling of democracy, but an accretion of tribalism" and "slowly turning us into a nation of hate-filled trolls."
I am not intending to connect all the violence in our society to the internet, but the argument in this entire article (titled "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold 2.0") certainly sees some connection.
We have a great loosening of peer-control.  I am worried about how far we actually have gone in that direction.  Someone want to argue back with me?