Tomorrow is Memorial Day. A day set aside by our nation to honor those men and women who have died serving our country. Our Baptist heritage and principles hold firmly to the separation of church and state. Neither entity shall encroach nor assert undo influence upon the other. I agree, but I also believe that the original framers of our constitution and our Baptist heritage understood and realized that the Church and State would never completely unravel from each other, for one of the primary founding principles of this nation was the worship of God. Our currency proclaims “In God we trust.” Our Pledge of Allegiance states, “One nation under God.” Forgive me, if on this day, I seek to lead us in the worship of God while remembering and honoring those who have faithfully served our country.
This Memorial Day Weekend takes on an added significance and a heavier burden for many, as we now live in a nation referred to as “post September 11th.” We currently have troops both here and abroad who are in the midst of an international terrorist crisis. As we come together this morning to worship, we must acknowledge the emotions that surround the Memorial Day Weekend. What are your thoughts? What are your feelings?
The story that unfolds in the movie, “Saving Private Ryan,” kept coming to my mind this past week. The movie is set in France during World War II. The defense department receives notice that a midwestern family currently has four sons serving in the war, three of whom have been killed. Their fourth son is in France. The military makes the decision that no mother should suffer the tragedy of losing four sons to war, so they send a team after this last son; Private Ryan.
The team must overcome countless obstacles, not to mention the enemy, in their search for Private Ryan. Along the way, members of their team are wounded and killed. They begin to ask why the life of this one private should be deemed more important than the lives being sacrificed to bring him home? Why is his welfare held in higher regard than theirs? Tom Hanks is the leader of the outfit in search of Ryan. He does his best to maintain the focus of his men, telling them that it’s not their place to question, but rather to accept their mission and carry out their orders. Their duty is to their country, and their country has asked this of them.
Finally, they locate Ryan. They tell him that they have orders to retrieve him and get him home, but Ryan doesn’t want to leave his unit. Ryan’s unit has orders to keep a group of German tanks from crossing a bridge, until adequate air support can arrive. If they can’t hold off the tanks, then they’re to blow up the bridge. Ryan’s honor and sense of duty to his unit would not allow him to walk away from an encounter that could cost his comrades their lives. He didn’t feel justified in leaving for freedom and safety and leaving them to fight.
Ryan convinces Hanks and his outfit to stay and fight, promising to leave with them after the battle. Hanks agrees, but only if Ryan will stay out of harm’s way, so he can make it back home. A bloody battle ensues in which many lives are lost. Hanks’ entire outfit is killed, but they save Private Ryan. There’s a gripping scene at the end, in which Hanks is dying. Ryan comes to help, but Hanks tells him to go on, and then he says to Private Ryan, “Earn this.”
Paul, in writing to the Philippians, tells them, “Earn this:” live a life worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Think about that; living a life worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Are we, and what exactly does it mean to live a life worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Paul outlines it for us.
It means to stand firm in one spirit. One of the more difficult things for any group is to stand united in one spirit, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a political group, an athletic team, a school board, county supervisors, or even a church. Standing united in one spirit is difficult, because it means putting aside one’s self for the sake of the group, for the sake of the unifying spirit. Paul’s request of the Philippians is that they stand firm within the spirit of Jesus Christ. The message for us is to also stand firm in the spirit of Jesus Christ.
Christians are going to disagree. Members of the same church are going to disagree. There have been, and undoubtedly there will be again, disagreements within this body, but whenever there’s a decision to be made and people disagree, whether it’s about a parking lot, a budget, a new building, or a new ministry focus, Christians are supposed to consider, “God, what would you have us do?” Standing firm in one spirit means putting aside personal preferences and personal agendas to truly discover God’s leadership.
The spirit that enabled the men to save Private Ryan was the spirit of standing firm in their service to the United States of America. Like many men and women who served in our military, they never saw the completion of the mission, but they served faithfully because of their commitment to the overall cause. This happens because the military places great emphasis upon the chain of command and the carrying out of orders. The chain of command is important, because if in the heat of battle the chain of command is broken, communication is lost, and chaos is the result.
The same can be said for Christians and the Church. Our chain of command is obediently carrying out missions from God as directed through his son Jesus Christ. Much like the military, it is when we insert personal preferences and agendas, that the chain of command is broken, and chaos results. It is our responsibility as individuals and as a church to stand firm in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, for it is when we agree to follow the chain of command as laid out by God through his son, Jesus Christ, that our missions and ministries are more successful and more meaningful. Much like those who died serving in the military, we may never ultimately see the completion of our mission, but we must remain faithful and dedicated to the cause of Jesus Christ, standing firm in one spirit.
Paul also instructs the Philippians to strive together side by side with one mind. Once you stand firm, establishing your ground within one Spirit, you are then empowered to move forward, side by side with one mind.
I’ve never served in the military, but undoubtedly there are times where you remain united, stand firm, and hold your ground. Strategy dictates that you stay put and protect what you’ve got, but there are also times when you have to move forward, striving together side by side. The only way Tom Hanks could successfully carry out his mission to save Private Ryan was to keep his men striving forward side by side. If they were not united, they would not successfully complete their mission.
The same truth applies to the Christian life. God never intended for his people to hunker down in order to protect their turf and stay in one place. Christ told the disciples to go forth, baptizing and making disciples of all nations. That doesn’t mean, erecting a steeple, opening the doors, and saying, “Come on in.” It means going out and doing it, striving side by side with one mind. Don’t be ashamed of your faith, don’t back peddle and retreat, but be committed to the mission and to each other.
One day Tonto and the Lone Ranger were riding through a canyon together when all of a sudden both sides were filled with Indian warriors on horses, dressed for battle. The Lone Ranger turned to Tonto and asked, “What are we going to do?” Tonto replied, “What you mean ‘we,’ Whiteman?”
When it comes to living a life worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ, it’s all about “we,” and not just the “we” gathered in this place, but it’s about all creations of God being welcomed and brought in to become “we.” It’s about standing firm in one spirit, it’s about striving side by side with one mind, and finally it’s about the privilege of suffering for him.
Paul often speaks of his present suffering and what a privilege it is to suffer for Jesus Christ, and some of you may wander what’s the big privilege in suffering? Pain, anguish, and suffering are not aspects of life we willingly volunteer for.
In my life I have experienced pain, both physical and emotional, most of which has been within the normal ebbs and flow of life. Physical pain that come from injuries and being hurt, and emotional pain that comes from disappointment or grief; but I would have to say that I don’t know that I have truly suffered. I equate suffering to an extended period of emotional and/or physical pain, usually involving the extinguishment of hope or comfort. I’ve not known this, but some of you have.
Paul says it’s a privilege to suffer for Christ in this way, and by the way, Paul wrote this letter from a Roman prison. Paul is speaking of having pride in suffering, and not the beat your chest, arrogant type of pride, but the pride that comes from knowing you’re suffering for something bigger and better than yourself.
Veterans often speak of their pride in having worn the uniform, their pride in having served their country, and again, it’s not a, “Look at me, I did this,” but it’s pride in being part of a unified force that stood firm in one spirit, strove side by side with one mind, knowing that the man or woman beside you would be there for you, and they considered it a privilege to sacrifice and suffer for the cause, because it was bigger and better than they.
For those of you who have lost family members to war, it is not my intention to minimize your pain. I don’t pretend that you find particular delight in your grief and suffering, believing it worth the pain you feel that your loved one died for a cause greater than he or she.
For those of you grieving the death of a spouse or a parent, I don’t expect you to find comfort in suffering as a privilege. Paul’s intention was to encourage the Philippians in the face of persecution. They were suffering because of their faith in Jesus Christ, and that’s where the privilege lies. When we profess our faith, when we state with integrity our belief, ridicule and pain and suffering may come our way, but the privilege comes in knowing that we stood firm and strove side by side with one mind for something bigger and better than ourselves.
Parents, how many times have you sat at your sick child’s bedside and said, “I wish it were me”? Your love is so deep that you would willingly volunteer to accept your child’s suffering for yourself. That’s what Christ did, and that’s the commitment and the privilege that comes with suffering.
“Saving Private Ryan” concludes by flashing forward about 50 years. Private Ryan is standing with his family amongst thousands of white crosses in a cemetery for those killed in WW II. He’s standing at the graveside of Hanks’ character, remembering those events in France. He turns to his wife asks, “Did I earn it?” Amen.
