Dear Salem United Methodist Family, On this Veteran’s Day, I am asking that you join with me in a prayer of thanksgiving for the countless men and women who have answered the call to protect and preserve the ideals of liberty , freedom, and the right of self determination for all people. Tragically, this storied day, established to commemorate the end of World War 1, has become obscured amid the tumult of pandemic, partisanship, and ideological dispute that now define our national discourse. Yet, the sacrifice of America’s veterans must never be forgotten nor diminished within our national consciousness. For some, the combining of faith and military service may seem to be an unreasonable juxtaposition of God and government. As a community of faith we stand in opposition to war as the only pathway to resolve conflicts within the global community. War is the profound abandonment of the very ethos of mutuality, peace, and human freedom that binds together human community. Veteran’s Day does not honor nor extol the human tragedy of warfare. Veteran’s Day does honor and extol all of those who have willing accepted the call to stand against the forces that seek to dominate, oppress, and silence the voices of freedom, democracy, and liberty. As United Methodists, we have a long and a proud heritage of military service. Since the Revolutionary War, Methodist chaplains have served America’s armed forces. From Bunker Hill to Gettysburg; from Verdun to Iwo Jima; from Inchon to Khe Sanh; from Desert Storm to Baghdad; from Baghdad to Kandahar American soldiers, sailors, and Marines have served with diligence, faith, and courage. Let us see this Veteran’s Day as a sacred time to remember that the ideals that so many have fought and died for must forever be nurtured and defended. For now the pen that will write the next chapters of human history has been entrusted to our feeble hands. On this Veteran’s Day, let us recall our very ability to write the history of this great nation is due to the sacrifice of the men and women that we honor, prayer for and salute on this day. Blessings, Pastor Tom Comments are closed.
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October 2022
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