I grew up in a country whose last war was in 1828. It was nobly entitled, “The Cisplatine War, Mutiny of the Mercenaries.” When Hillary Clinton went to Brazil asking our then president to join American policies against Iran, Lula replied that America (then led by Obama) was too eager to get into war with Iran. I think he was right, but again, Lula was too eager to ally himself with dictators. They were both ultimately wrong in my estimation. Neo-conservative politics never did attract me from the left or the right and socialism never attracted me. Period.
When I came to the U.S. nearing three decades ago, I was exposed to a world comfortable with the language of war. There was honor and service and respect for those in the military. Police officers, many of them who had served in some capacity, were respected. It was quite a change of view for me, and I found it a delightful one.
I pastor in a community replete with men and women who serve or have served in the military. The military families and individuals who have come through our congregation were/are some of the finest I’ve ever met and when they left, they left a deep void in our body. Once in a while we are even overwhelmed with joy to see that they desire to come back and be among us.
I’ve also had the privilege of meeting widows whose husbands fought valiantly for their country. We honor those faithful laborers and we especially pray for those who mourn them today. Memorial Day should not be a day for intellectual patriotic affirmation. We should remember the dead who fought for our country and even those who fought for wars led by political ambition.
Patriotism is noble; the kind of patriotism that serves the country with eyes wide open. There is a blind patriotism that pervades everything, even church life; the form of patriotic fervor that is too eager to trust in horses and chariots. I despise that form of patriotism. The prophet Jonah was the wrong kind of patriot. He cherished his land above loyalty to God. Any patriotism that speaks of God generically is bound to error. The healthy patriot serves only the Triune God and cherishes his country but is lucid enough to point out its ethical flaws.
From the days of the Israelite wanderings to our own day, the great sin of history is the sin of forgetfulness. Remembering, then, becomes a biblical virtue. Remembering fallen heroes is a way of remembering the nature of sacrifice.
In this post-adamic world, death becomes the pre-requisite to life. We should remember the fallen. Remember the pain of death. Remember the life that comes from those who have died, and then rejoice in freedoms new and freedoms to come.
