I think the movie “Saving Private Ryan” is one of the best war movies I have ever seen.
This movie opens with a family coming to the American cemetery at Omaha beach in Normandy. For those of you who have ever visited there you know what a solemn and hallowed place it is.
The main character, James Ryan, stands there as an old man , staring at a particular grave marker, and the story picks up from there going back in time to the Normandy invasion; following the exploits of Cpt. Miller and his platoon of men in events that led to Ryan surviving the war.
In the final scene of the flashback the mortally wounded Captain Miller, lying on the bridge they were defending says something almost inaudible to Private Ryan: Ryan leans down closer to the captain asking what, Sir?
The dying captain’s last words to Ryan were “James, earn this, earn this.”
The film transitions back from this last battlefield memory, returning to Ryan standing before Cpt. Miller’s white stone marker, where he says, as if talking to Cpt. Miller: “Every day I think about what you said to me that day on the bridge; I’ve tried to live my life the best that I could. I hope that was enough. I hope, that at least in your eyes, I earned what all of you have done for me.”
Mr. Ryan, the former army private, then looks at his wife and asks: Have I lived a good life—have I been a good man?
He asks: has my life been worthy of the cost? Cpt. Miller and most of Miller’s platoon were killed keeping Pvt. Ryan alive. Ryan was weighing his life in terms of the price it cost for him to be there, to have been married, to have children, to have been able to live the life he has lived. Those men, the living and the dead, were the foundation on which Ryan had built his life. He was standing, as it were, on the shoulders of Cpt. Miller and his men.
And he needed assurance that he had not squandered that which was so preciously and dearly purchased.
This may be a good question for us to consider in our lives. Do we live our lives in a way that values the sacrifices of those who have gone before us, who have laid a foundation for us to build on with our lives?
Do we consider that there is a cost paid by others for what we inherit in life, what we start with in life. We have inherited a life, skills, abilities, freedoms, potential, from others—parents, teachers, mentors, founding fathers, priests, pastors, and soldiers—others have laid a foundation for us on which we get to build our lives—we stand on the shoulders of all those who have gone before us, most of whom we will never know, and who probably never considered the implications of their sacrifice.
Last week we celebrated All Saints’ Day; Bishop Marshall reminded us that our Christian faith is a tradition— a body truth about Jesus—who he is, what he has done, and what he is still doing—handed down and lived out from generation to generation by those who followed Jesus–of saints—pastors, theologians, evangelists, martyrs, businessmen, scholars, soldiers, most just common people –most of whom we will never know.
And now we –as saints in our time—common people in a variety of careers, livelihoods and vocations–are building on that which has been handed down to us and likewise are responsible to live life in light of that reality, standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before, so that others—our families, children, friends, hopefully anyone that touched our lives, would come to know Jesus and what he offers.
This week we celebrate Veterans’ Day. Here, we are reminded that, what we have inherited in terms of our freedoms in this nation, is a gift given to us by others—common people who were willing to do their duty in their times, willing to put themselves in harm’s way in the service to our country, most of whom we will personally never know. Yet we stand today on their shoulders.
When I was a kid, my dad did not talk much about his experiences in the war. We knew the generalities—he was a waist gunner in a B-24, he was stationed in Italy in the 15th Air Force in the 98 bomb group, he was the youngest guy in the group with the oldest guy in the group on the same crew, same airplane, one named I think, Consolidated Wreck–but not much detail.
Once in a while when we were watching a movie or the news, he might comment on something or someplace he recognized; a passing gosh darn that place, or that place was a son-of-gun. His rendition was not edited for content, if you catch my drift. it was sometimes after a couple of beers, or more, when he would sometimes tell the real stories—stories that left us as kids a bit shocked at what our dad had been through—stories normally left unfinished with him with tears in his eyes.
One of the things he always mentioned when talking about his experiences, was the “colored pilots” as he called them. They were the Afro-American pilots, the Tuskegee airmen, of the 332th fighter group, the red tails, they who flew cover for their bomber group. He always attributed his survival to those red-tailed P51s. “We were always safe when they were around”. “They saved our shot up behinds (edited for content) a number of times”. “They would always get us home”. It was only much later that I connected the dots and realized that if it wasn’t for those red tails I wouldn’t be here.
Some years ago I had the privilege of meeting a Tuskegee airman. It was outside of the Serving Spoon restaurant. And I thanked him for saving my dad—I felt like a kid—and it was a very emotional encounter for me. I got to meet and thank a person who didn’t know me—or my dad for that matter—but whose service might have been personally responsible for my existence; a man just doing his job, a man on whose shoulders I stood.
Since then I have had the privilege of thanking one other red tail for his service and my existence, (and today I have the privilege of again thanking yet another red tail for my life.) LT. Col. Hardy, thank you for your service. Thank you for making my life possible. And I hope my life has earned what they/you had ventured.
Every time we worship or pray, we look at the Cross of Christ, and we count the cost of what was paid for us to be here—to be in relationship with the living God—to have the forgiveness of our sins and the promise of eternal life. Are we living our lives in a way that honors and values the cost that was paid for our salvation by our Lord, and all those who have sacrificed to hand that tradition down that we should come to know Jesus as Lord?
As we celebrate this Veterans’ Day, we remember what was sacrificed by others that we might inherit the life we have today in this land. Are we living our lives in a way that honors and appreciates those on whose shoulders we stand, in our freedoms and American ideals of government and life?
How we live our lives is important. Whether standing before the Cross of Christ, or like Pvt. Ryan, standing before a veteran’s grave, or standing before a living veteran, it tells whether we truly value what has been paid, for all we have inherited.
May we pray today for the strength and courage to live our lives in light of those most precious costs.
To our veterans today—thank you for all you have done for us. Thank you for allowing us to stand on your shoulders in our times today.
Sermon preached by the Rev. Richard C. Marsden
The Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota Florida
22nd Sunday after Pentecost
9 November 2014