God Bless America?

Every year I look forward to our church's celebration of Veterans' Day. It is among my favorite Sundays of the year. And of course, this year was no different. Our congregation and, especially, Pastor John Loyd did a fabulous job of showing appreciation for the sacrifices that every veteran has made. As one of those veterans, I would like to say thank you to all who spent their Sunday morning honoring a group of men and women who might otherwise feel undeserving of such honor. Pastor John had mentioned during these services that many of the veterans, when asked about their time in the military, would state that their contributions didn’t amount to much, having served during peace time. Even some who had served on the battlefield during war time would dismiss their service as meaningless in the grand scheme of things. This seems to be the nature of the true heroes; not seeking recognition, fame or glory. However, there is something about being prompted just enough to remember and reflect on those days past, without an expectation to elaborate, which seems to be good for the soul of a veteran.

This is what I find so precious in this annual ceremony. A simple “thank you” and seeing (only briefly) my photo, name, time-frame…. maybe my rank, unit and job-title pass by among those of my fellow veterans, a brotherhood of warriors with a common love of country. This is what gives a vet a moment of pride and self worth. It’s not a pride in having served, but a pride in belonging to something bigger than one’s self; and to one another. There was a reception Sunday in our honor, when people were asked to just say thank you and ask us about our experiences. But, my favorite time came after, when all that remained were four veterans; one in his sixties, me in my fifties, another in his thirties and one, still serving, about twenty. We shared a little about where we were and what we did, but mostly, it was just THAT we were…. and are….

Psalm 144:1-2

Praise be to the Lord my Rock,
    who trains my hands for war,
    my fingers for battle.
He is my loving God and my fortress,
    my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
    who subdues peoples^[a] under me.

Finally, among the music of the day was Kate Smith, singing “God Bless America”. Pastor mentioned how some people find this statement to be an audacious request to the Lord by an unworthy people, but he assured us that it was okay to request His blessing. I would like to take that a step further by pointing out that, in the Bible, one of many words which are translated “bless” is “eulogos”, which is the same word from which we get our word “eulogy”. It means “to speak well of”. It is my contention that the phrase, “God bless America”, is a request of God to not only speak well of America, but to cause America to become such a nation that God WOULD speak well of her. That is my prayer on this Veterans’ Evening; that God would place his hand on this nation and cause her to rise up and come into alignment with her creator, and in so doing would BECOME blessed. Amen.