Memorial Day 2012

This was delivered at Howard Cemetery in Elma on Monday, 28 May 2012 as part of the town's Memorial Day observance.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Psalm 124

If it had not been the LORD who was on our side—
let Israel now say—
if it had not been the LORD who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
Blessed be the LORD,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth!
We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped!
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be forever. Amen.

On this day, we gather in this place to honor the blessed memory of those who have died in service to our great nation and to the ideals for which we stand. We stand in this place of rest, reminded of the fragility of life, of the end of us all. The graves of those who have gone before us remind us that we too shall some day join them in the earth, where we shall rest until our Lord returns on the Last Day to call His own to Himself in heaven.

On this day, we gather in this place to remember the sacrifices made by all those men and women who fought and died to save us from the terror that flies by night and the foe that crouches by day. We remember with thanksgiving those who have shown the ultimate love of their fellow man by laying down their lives for their friends and loved ones, even for their enemies.

On this day, we gather in this place to teach future generations about the sacrifices that our soldiers have made to preserve our way of life and our freedoms. We impart to our future the lessons of our past, that we may go forward into a more bright future.

Let us pray:

Lord God, O Lord of Hosts, You have sustained our nation in the past, and continue to bless us. We recall how so many have given their lives for the cause of freedom. Men and women continue to sacrifice and serve in the Armed Forces.

We remember with thanksgiving the millions of Americans who have given, and still give so generously of their life and labor in times of conflict. We ask you to bless those left behind, those bereft by death, those family and loved ones separated by time and space from our soldiers and servicemen.

Gracious Lord, we give thanks for all whom You have called to be chaplains for our Armed Services. Give them strength, patience, and wisdom to deal graciously with those in the midst of war, to give those in such danger and need the blessings of Your Word and the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ.

O Lord of Hosts, commander of all the forces of heaven and earth, we ask that you would bless and defend all our military personnel and all who stand in harm's way for us. Bless, direct, and defend them from all harm and danger of body or soul. Bring us swiftly to the day when all warfare and violence shall cease and Your people shall live together with You forever; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Let us pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven

hallowed be Thy Name;

Thy kingdom come;

Thy will be done on earth

as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory

forever and ever. Amen.

May your help ever be in the Name of the Lord, who governs heaven and earth.

May you ever be strengthened in the hope of the resurrection to come.

The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face to shine upon you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you

and give you  peace. Amen.

The Breath of the Church

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today we are gathered to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, one of the oldest feasts in the calendar of the Church, even older than Christmas or Easter, in fact. The festival which we here commemorate goes back all the way to the time of Moses and the giving of the Law. And yet it has remained, handed down through successive generations even to our own time, and for untold ages yet to come.

The Feast of Pentecost was originally enacted to celebrate the harvest of the winter wheat. The word “pentecost” is Greek for “fifty”, referring to the fifty days after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, after which the Pentecost was celebrated. Traditionally, this festival also had the added significance of commemorating the Lord's giving the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai fifty days after the Exodus from Egypt.

The World Hates You

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

No one likes to be hated. Sure, it may seem as though some enjoy perturbing others to such an extent that they desire to be disliked and disdained. There have always been, and always will be, shock jocks and public displays of vulgarity. But everyone wants and needs to be liked, to be loved by someone. But that is not what you can expect from the world around you, according to today's Gospel lesson.

Today, you have heard Jesus say, “I have given them Your Word, and the world has hated them.” The first half of that sentence is great, wonderful news. You have indeed received the Word of the Lord which Jesus Himself came down from heaven to give to you. And you have not received it once, or briefly, but over and over, in many ways and various forms.

"What I Command"

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” This is the command Jesus gives to His disciples. The second greatest command of the Law is to love your neighbor as yourself. So here, Jesus ups the ante, saying that you are to love one another not just as you love yourself, but as He has loved you.

On its face, this seems like a simple, rather straightforward command. You know how Jesus demonstrated His love. He died for you, to take away your sins and make you holy before God. He says in today's lesson that “greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” So the way to love one another like Jesus does is to be willing to die for your friends. This is the true test of friendship, of love.

Misfits and the True Vine

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In the children's movie “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, as Rudolf wanders across the frozen wasteland of the North Pole trying to find his niche in life, he stumbles onto the Island of Misfit Toys. There, he encounters such characters as Charlie-in-the-box, the Spotted Elephant, a bird-fish, a train with square wheels, and a toy gun that shoots grape jelly. All these toys have been gathered up by King Moonracer because they have been cast off as misfits, as those who do not fit in or have a place among the ranks of normal toys. Until Rudolf shows up on their island, these toys are condemned to spend their days in the sad company of one another, unloved and unwanted by the boys and girls of the world.

Much like those odd and sad toys, you are misfits. Sure, you may look and feel normal on the outside, but inside, you are strange, weird, unacceptable. You do not fit in with the “normal” people, whoever they are. Like shoving a square peg in a round hole, you may struggle and struggle to fit in, but you will always be a misfit. And so you will be stuck on your own misfit island, until someone comes to rescue you.