Introduction
Today is a special day in our church calendar. It’s not a holiday. It’s not a specific celebration of any historical event, person or location. It’s a day we set aside to honor and remember the members of the Armed Forces who have served our nation so well. We honor them because their service has granted us the many rights and privileges we enjoy each and every day. They serve in dangerous war zones, far away from home. They serve on the streets of developing countries, maintaining the peace. They serve on flight lines keeping skies free of danger. ] They serve on ships, deployed for months at a time. In short, they serve far away from their family and friends, in uncomfortable surroundings, all volunteers to protect the freedoms of this country. Today, we honor our soldiers, sailors, airman, marines and coast guardsmen who have served today and in years past.
As part of that honor to our veterans, today’s message is built around the Romans 12 passage you heard a moment ago. In this passage, Paul is writing to the church in Rome and extoling the virtues of Christian values. Among those values, love and sacrifice are paramount for Christian conduct. This morning, I want to take a closer look at these two concept and show how both Christians and the military live out both.
Love and Sacrifice
I’d like to start with a story that outlines what sacrifice really is. In Ernest Gordon’s book, Miracle on the River Kwai, he described events based on World War II and the building of a bridge in the jungles of Burma. In the story, Scottish soldiers were forced by their Japanese captors to labor on the creation of a railroad through inhospitable surroundings. The work conditions degenerated to barbarous behavior, but one afternoon something happened:
A shovel was missing. The Japanese officer in charge became enraged. He demanded that the missing shovel be produced, or else. When nobody in the squadron budged, the officer got his gun and threatened to kill them all on the spot. It was obvious the officer meant what he had said. Then, finally, one man stepped forward. The officer put away his gun, picked up a shovel, and beat the man. One man had claimed responsibility for the missing tool, and paid the ultimate price, his own life.
When it was over, the survivors picked up the body and carried it with them to the second tool check. This time, no shovel was missing. Indeed, there had been a miscount at the first checkpoint.
The word spread like wildfire through the whole camp. An innocent man had been willing to die to save the others! The incident had a profound effect. The men began to treat each other like brothers.
When the victorious Allies swept in, the survivors, human skeletons, lined up in front of their captors. Instead of attacking their captors, they protected them and insisted: “no more hatred. No more killing. Now what we need is forgiveness.”
The sacrifice of this one man changed the hearts of those around him. He knew that he was innocent, yet he chose to take the blame just the same. He faced the punishment to save the others. He showed his love for his fellow soldiers through his own sacrifice. With this action, he placed the needs of his brothers-in-arms, over his own.
Similarly, when the allies liberated the camp, the Scottish soldiers defended their captors. Again, we see the action of love, instead of revenge. We see a Christian attitude of love, where others might have chosen to attack their Japanese guards.
God willing, we will never be faced with a situation as grim as this one. But we can still impact those around us by our actions. The values of love and sacrifice can have a unique effect on everyone around you. As the song goes, we can show we are Christians by our Love.
Major Sullivan Ballou
Let me explain another story of how our military members, and their families give so much to us. Both the service members that deploy, and the families left behind, sacrifice much of their lives and their life style for the defense of our nation.
Our men and women of the Armed Forces often ensure hardships that most of American society can hardly imagine. Our service members have to leave their families behind as they move forward to more dangerous areas. Often, the service members and their families are separated for months at a time. Sometimes, the families endure the loss of a loved one. Such was the case of Major Sullivan Ballou and his wife Sara.
Major Ballou was an Army soldier of the Union who fought during the Civil War. He wrote to his wife about one week before he was killed at the First Battle of Bull Run. He wrote a lengthy love letter, but the letter was not delivered until after his death.
In part, that letter read this:
"I have no misgivings or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged and my courage does not falter. I know how American civilization leans upon the triumph of the government. I know how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the suffering of the Revolution. And I am willing, perfectly willing, to lay down the joys of this life to help maintain this government and to help pay that debt.
Sarah, my love for you is deathless. And yet my love of country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me irresistibly with all those chains to the battlefield. The memory of all those blissful moments I have enjoyed with you come crowding over me, and I feel most grateful to God and you that I have enjoyed them for so long. And how hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the future years, when God willing, we might have loved and lived together, and watched our boys grow up around us to honorable manhood. If I do not return my dear Sarah, never forget how much I loved you nor that when my last breath escapes me on the battlefield it will whimper your name."
Major Sullivan was killed a week later on July 21, 1861. The letter found among his personal effects, never have been mailed. His wife received the love letter a few weeks after his demise. Major Sullivan, his wife, and their sons bore the brunt of the war on their shoulders. They were left to deal with the heart ache of battle, the loss of a husband and father, and had to discover a new way to move forward without a part of their family. Unfortunately, this same sacrifice is paid by many families each year.
The Church
Each of these cases of love and sacrifice are tragic to those left behind. Each has a story to tell of how one paid the price for others. Each, focused on the love for others, rather than the love for self.
In this world, selfish desires are a big part of the community around us. The world has too many focused on getting more out of life, and failing to pay back to society. Often, our world is cold and calculating, rather than showing love and sacrifice. Sometimes, we are a reflection of the world around us, and fail to pay attention to the needs of others. Sometimes, we fail to love where we should. Fail to love as long as we should. Fail to forgive and forget. In our church community, we should be the first to love, the first to forgive, the first to sacrifice for others.
The church can be an amazing place when it is working as it’s supposed to – when we are treating one another as if each person were Christ himself. When we are following the command Jesus left – “love your neighbor as yourself.”
Love is not be a foreign concept to us. Through the caring for one another, we spread the love of Christ and create a nurturing climate. Our actions often speak louder than words. Whether we realize it or not, the world is paying attention. As Christians, we should express love at every opportunity, by caring for one another, listening to what people actually have to say, and by taking time out of our busy lives and trying to make a difference. The life that we lead here on earth is a temporary existence when compared to the eternal salvation of heaven.
God loved us so much that he gave his only begotten son to die for us. He showed his love for us by sending his son to atone for our sins. During His life on earth, Jesus was the example of love. He showed compassion and mercy for those who needed it, and offered forgiveness to the repentant. He also explained the standard of love we are to share with others. We may not always be able to follow His command to love others, as we would like to be loved, but we should make every attempt to treat even total strangers with a spirit of love and compassion in everything we do. God didn’t ignore us when we stumbled in sin. He offered his hand to help us back to our feet.
Just as the man in the shovel story sacrificed himself for his comrades in arms, we should also be willing to lend a hand when a stranger needs assistance. Major Sullivan chose to serve his nation for the betterment of those around him. We may not be asked to make such drastic sacrifices, but we can still love in need. God’s love doesn’t end at the church door. It extends to the whole world. In the same way, our love should not stop at our families, but stretch to all people.
Love and Sacrifice of Jesus
In a small, Middle Eastern country nearly 2,000 years ago, another servant expressed love for those around him. A closer look at this hero reveals some strong similarities to the heroes I just described, but also some significant differences.
His name was Jesus, son of Joseph the carpenter. Just like the soldier who sacrificed himself for the lack of a shovel, Jesus willingly endured pain and suffering on behalf of His people to the point of death. Just like Major Sullivan Ballou, He knew what was coming his way.
The men and women of the military put their lives in danger for the sake of their country and their brothers in arms, against other human beings. The battle Christ waged was against something far more powerful and devastating. The ultimate victory was not simply the taking of some important hilltop or body of water, or even one country over another, but one which secured our very souls—the victory over the power of the devil and of sin in our lives, and ultimately, the victory over death.
In that victory, the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ, inspired those who witnessed it or heard about it. In his first letter, Peter, one of Jesus’ “lieutenants,” if you will, encouraged his readers with the lessons he learned from his commanding officer. From 1 Peter 3:15 we read: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
And the clearest, most dynamic example of how Christ’s life and death—and resurrection—inspired His people is the fact that we are gathered here today to sing hymns, hear God’s Word proclaimed, offer up our prayers of praise and petition, and encourage one another in our faith.
Let me close with this. As we go forth today, let me encourage you to remember those who have served and made the sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy today. At the same time, give thanks to God, also, for Jesus Christ, and HIS willingness to serve, His commitment to our spiritual freedom and our eternal salvation. And then, be confident in your daily “faith battles,” knowing that you are equipped by God to be that faithful warrior that makes a difference in the world around you.
The need for a military force will more than likely never disappear. We will need a protectorate from the forces around the globe to guarantee the rights and privileges we can express today. It is through our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines that we have the luxury of unprecedented freedoms. But, only Christ can grant the freedom from sin that His sacrifice has granted us.
At the close of World War II Winston Churchill paid tribute to the Royal Air Force by saying, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much, owed by so many, to so few.” Looking at Jesus Christ as He hangs on the cross, we must declare, “Never in the history of a sinful world has all of humanity, owed everything, to only one savior.”
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
