One Sunday morning, the rector noticed little Johnny was staring up at the large plaque that hung in the narthex of the church. The seven-year-old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the rector walked up, stood beside the boy, and said quietly, “Good morning, Johnny.” “Good morning, Father,” replied the young man, still focused on the plaque. “Sir, what is this?” Johnny asked. “Well son, these are all the people who have died in the service,” replied the priest. Soberly, they stood together, staring at the large plaque. Little Johnny’s voice barely broke the silence when he asked quietly, “Which one sir, the 9 o’clock or the 11 o’clock service?”
Today is Veterans Day. It’s an especially significant Veterans Day because it’s also the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I – known at the time as The War to end All Wars. World War I officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on the 28th of June 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, the 11th of November 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
A year later, in November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I. But it certainly wasn’t the War to end all Wars. In 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen in the Nation’s history; and after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, substituted the word “Armistice” with the word “Veterans,” and so the 11th of November became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
Do you appreciate the freedom that we have in this country? Do you appreciate the freedom that we have to be here this morning, to worship God in the way our consciences dictate? Do you appreciate the freedom that we have to pursue our vocations, to bring our children up in a place where they can realize their potential, to live in a world where the rights of every individual are valued and protected? Are you thankful for that freedom?
You probably don’t think about it every day, or even most days. I know I don’t. We take it for granted. We should thank God that we can take it for granted, that this country, dedicated to preserving our freedom, makes it as safe as it can possibly be to enjoy our unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Yet that freedom is fragile. The 20th century was plagued by wars fought against those who would take away that right. That same conflict between those who would protect that freedom and those who would take it away continues in our day. The seemingly weekly acts of terror we are experiencing in this country threaten that freedom. Edmund Burke, in the 18th Century, said that “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” The good men and women of our armed services as well as our domestic police forces, put their lives on the line daily, 365 days a year, in order to protect the freedom we value and enjoy.
Our Christian faith informs us that we shouldn’t be surprised that such conflict exists. There’s a cosmic battle going on all the time between the forces of good and evil, between God and those forces of evil that oppose God. St. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, stated it succinctly when he said, “Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” This cosmic battle manifests itself at every level of human society—from the individual, to the family, to the community in which we live, to our country, and throughout the world.
We give thanks today for those who have put their lives on the line through serving in our Armed Forces in the many conflicts that manifest this cosmic battle, remembering the words of our Lord Jesus that “greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
We also remember that we are participating in this cosmic battle on the ground, called to live lives of sacrificial love, remembering the words of our Lord that we must love one another as he has loved us. Whenever we choose the loving way over the way of hatred and bigotry, we each do our small part in this cosmic battle. The battle between God and the forces of evil goes on, but the war has already been won. We can with confidence take our part, knowing the words of Jesus “in the world you have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Sermon preached by the Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson
Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota Florida
Veterans’ Sunday
11 November 2018