They Gave Their Yesterdays for Our Todays
By Pastor John Hicks, First United Methodist Church
On November 11, we honor those men and women who have served in our armed forces. When we reflect on the honor and heroism of our soldiers, we are confronted with the sacrifices they made, as well as our response to those sacrifices. The whole concept of anyone making sacrifices for us, much less being willing to die for us, sometimes makes us uneasy. Confronting their heroism forces us to stop and examine our own lives. Why did they do what they did? What cause is worth dying for? Would we be willing to do the same?
Celebrities are people who make news, heroes are people who make history. The qualities of heroism are eternal -- self-sacrifice, courage, honor, duty.
A man who served in the Navy during World War II shared that one night he was running his transport across the Atlantic when he noticed the white trail of a torpedo coming toward him. His ship was filled with hundreds of soldiers, and the potential loss of life would have been devastating.
Nearby, a smaller ship had also seen the torpedo coming. The captain of the smaller vessel maneuvered his ship between the transport and the torpedo. The explosion destroyed his ship, killing all those on board.
The man who told this story ended it by saying, "The skipper of that other ship was my best friend." Slowly, he remarked, "You know, there is a verse in the Bible which has special meaning for me now. It is this: "Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.'"
What kind of love would give itself up for another? What kind of love would be willing to die for you and me? It’s the love that Jesus demonstrated to show us how much we mean to God. It’s the love we celebrate today in the example of soldiers who sacrificed and sometimes even died for our freedom. In India there is a cemetery where the bodies of American soldiers are buried. Over the entrance to the cemetery are these words: “Tell Them We Gave Our Todays for Their Tomorrows.”
Let us never forget that our todays were bought with a price. Someone had to pay with their service and sometimes with their lives yesterday, so we might be free today.
To all of our veterans: A national holiday is hardly enough to show you our gratitude and respect. There is no way we can sufficiently say, "Thank you." We can’t undo anything you’ve been through, but we can do what the Bible tells us to do – pray for you and love you and honor your sacrifices.
Added note: The community Veterans’ Appreciation Luncheon is on November 3 this year in the Family Ministry Center of First United Methodist Church of Monticello. Veterans: Come and let us honor you! Public: Come and join us in honoring our veterans! Doors open at 11 a.m. with the program and meal starting at 11:30. Veterans eat free, and the public is invited!