Greater Love Has No One Than This...

Lance Corporal Harry J. Simmons, Jr., USMC

Echo Company, Second Battalion, 1st Marine Division, III MAF

died, 8 April 1967, Quang Nam Province, Republic of Vietnam

 

To begin with, allow me clear up what Memorial Day is NOT:

 

1.  It is not a 3-day weekend.  It is 1 day, held once a year on the last Monday of May.

 

2.  It is not the 27th of May.  Since 1968, Memorial Day has been observed on the last Monday of May in accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968, by which Congress moved it, along with Washington's Birthday, Columbus Day and Veterans' Day (which has since been restored to its traditional date) to be always celebrated on a Monday, in order to provide more 3-day weekends for federal employees (not kidding).

 

Memorial Day - originally called Decoration Day - had traditionally been observed on the 30th of May.  (And Washington's Birthday - not surprisingly - had been observed on his actual birthday - January 22nd.  A dozen states have actually rolled up the observance of ALL Presidents' birthdays into this one day, calling it "President's Day" instead of Washington's birthday.  By doing so, this basically puts Washington on the same level as Richard Nixon.  But I digress...)  Decoration Day had its origins following the Civil War, and the purpose was to honor the fallen of that war.

 

3.  It is not celebrated in honor of the Indy 500.

 

4.  It is not Veteran's Day.  Veterans' Day (formerly called Armistice Day in observance of the end of World War I, which officially took place at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918).  Veterans' Day honors all those who have served in the defense of our nation.  Memorial Day honors those who have died in defense of our nation and its Constitution.

 

As we observe this day, many of us have faces to put with the host of Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice in our stead.  For me, one of those faces belongs to a 20-year-old Marine named Harry Simmons.  Harry was my best buddy's big brother - a guy we looked up to for a number of qualities, not the least of which were his patriotism and courage.  When he joined the Marines, he literally became a hero to us.  After all, there was a war - though undeclared - going on.

 

In April, 1967, we got the news no one wants, that Harry had been killed by small arms fire while on patrol.  Not knowing what else to do, I went frequently to my buddy's house to try and provide some kind of comfort through my presence.  Little did I realize how those visits were going to provide comfort to me.

 

While hanging out at my buddy's house, I was amazed at the outpouring of affection, sympathy and support from the people of Harry's family's church.  It really made me pay attention.  I remember sitting there, listening to those present talk about how they were certain Harry was in heaven.  Now I knew Harry enough to know that their confidence must have been in something other than his perfect behavior.  Harry was a good guy, and a hero, but he was far from perfect.  As I listened, I discerned that their assurance was in the fact that Harry had done something they referred to as "accepted Christ" as a young man.  This was a new thought, but the more I listened, the more I desired the same assurance of eternal life.

 

However, I thought this must be something a person did, in their ecclesiastical formula, at a particular age.  (This made sense to me since, in my background, we went through "confirmation" at age 12.)  Since Harry had evidently made this commitment at age 16, and since I was about a month from being 16, I began to wonder what the qualifications were for accepting Christ, and whether I might be able to go through the rite.

 

One day I caught Harry's mom alone in their kitchen, and like Nicodemus coming to Jesus by night, I surreptitiously inquired:  "You know that thing about accepting Jesus?  When do you do that?" fully expecting her to say, "When you're 16."  But I'll never forget his mom's beaming face, nor her somewhat cryptic answer: "You'll know."

 

Huh?  I will?  How?  I had already begun going to my buddy's church; now I was on the edge of my seat each Sunday, waiting for the pastor's invitation at the end of each service, and waiting for the Lord to show me a sign that He was ready for me to make this decision.  Looking back it's kind of humorous now, but I think Harry's mom's answer was really great: it made me look to God for His leading, His drawing, His confirmation that He wanted me.

 

One Sunday, I KNEW this was it, and when the pastor gave his invitation, I was down the aisle - and meant it, as best I understood things.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

 

I owe a great deal to that young Marine, and to his family.  How I thank God for Harry, and for God using his life as a sacrifice to bring me - and others through me - to Himself. 

 

And I thank God for Harry's family, especially His mom, who was such a great example of sensitivity and availability to the Lord during those days, even in the midst of her broken-heartedness over the loss of her eldest son.  I have always hoped that my own salvation, and the work God has done through my life, have been of some encouragement to her.  She's getting pretty old now - close to 90, I think - and will soon be reunited with her son.  What a great comfort that must be for her as well.

 

It seems a little weird to say, "Happy Memorial Day."  Instead, let me encourage you to reflect today on someone you may know who gave his or her life that you and I might live in freedom.  Truly, "greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for his friends."

 

 

 

 

 

NEW BLOG NAME AND ADDRESS

I just wanted to let you all know that I am slightly changing the name of my blog, to Very First Sip.  The new address will be http://very-first-sip.blogspot.com.

The reason for the change is that I have discovered there is another blog that shares the same name as the one I have been using, but that blog does NOT share the same worldview with me.  I don't want anyone to mistakenly go to the wrong blog, and find thoughts or values that could mislead badly.

Thanks to all of you who follow or read my humble offerings.

"CRUMMY" FAITH

But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

I have often wondered at the Lord's response to the Syrophoenician woman.  Here is Jesus in her part of the world - the region of Tyre and Sidon - and she, one of the residents who has obviously heard of Him as a merciful and powerful worker of miracles, comes with a huge concern.  Her little daughter is possessed by a demon - an "unclean spirit."  Who knows how it came to be that this little girl would be in this condition?  This region was pagan in its general beliefs and practices, and as such, the people were in great darkness.  Likely they indulged in spirit-ism and the occult.  Perhaps this little girl was herself exposed to, or used in, in the occult rituals, possibly by her mother or father, or maybe she was just part of the "collateral damage" of the culture.

In any event, I am sure that it came as no surprise to Jesus that He would encounter Gentiles with needs in this region.  So His response to this woman has always been interesting to me.  "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

"Dogs?"  Really?  Not exactly the Andrew Carnegie approach to successful ministry.

Yet, on the other hand, it is clear that Jesus deals with this Gentile, this outsider, not as an annoyance, not like the unrighteous judge of Luke 18:4,5, who only gave his help to the needy widow to get her off his back: “Even though I do not respect God nor fear man, yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection, lest by continually coming she wear me out." Rather, Jesus saw this Gentile woman as an object of His great compassion, whose spoken concern He appreciates, but whose deeper need He determines to address.  He tests her, not to plumb the depths of her heart for His own knowledge, but for hers, that she might truly address Him with humility, that she might be freed of her hardness of heart toward the Jews, and that she might acknowledge her own lack of qualification for any blessing from their God.

But if Jesus' response to her request is surprising, her answer to His feigned denial is stunning:

“Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 

Wow!  She does not become indignant, does not argue, but seizes upon His words and goes with them as the path to continue her appeal.  Here is what the Pulpit Commentary has to say about this remarkable answer:

It is as though she said, “Give me, most gracious Lord, only a crumb (a small mercy compared with thy greater mercies), the healing of my little daughter, which may fall as it were from thee upon us Canaanites and Gentiles, and be gratefully picked up as one of thy lesser benefits.”

Cornelius à Lapide enlarges beautifully upon this: “Feed me, then, as a little dog. To me, a poor Gentile, let a crumb of thy grace and mercy be vouchsafed; but let the full board, the plentiful bread of grace and righteousness, be reserved for the Jewish children. I cannot leave the table of my Lord, whose little dog I am. No; if you spurn me away with your foot, or with a blow, I will go away; but I will come back again, like a little dog, through another door. I will not be driven away by blows. I will not let thee go until thou hast given me what I ask of thee.’ For this Canaanite constrains Christ, arguing her case from his own words, prudently, modestly, forcibly, and with a humble faith which perceives that he is not unwilling to be overcome by petition and by reason. Indeed, she entangles him in the meshes of his own words. So great is the plenteousness of his table, that it shall abundantly suffice for her if she may but partake of the crumbs which fall from the table of his children.”[1]

By her submission to the true ways of God, by acceding to His choice of the Jews as His people and the agency through which He reveals His truth to all peoples, she agreed with God – which is the essence of repentance – and so gained not only the freedom of her daughter from the demon, but of her own soul in the process.

So, by coming to Him in humility, acknowledging that I am not worthy to be seated as His table, but that, if He is willing, just a crumb from the feast that He justifiably provides to whomever He chooses will suffice to heal me, to nurture me, to transform me, to make me a part of the feast, I can have confidence, not in my worthiness, but in His merciful kindness, whose “steadfast love endures forever” (Ps 136).

---

^[1]Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Hrsg.): The Pulpit Commentary: St. Mark Vol. I. Bellingham, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2004, S. 295

"Where is Your Faith?"

Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples.  Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat.  But Jesus was sleeping.

The disciples went and woke him up, shouting,

“Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid?
You have so little faith!”
Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves,
and suddenly there was a great calm.
The disciples were amazed. 
Who is this man?” they asked. 
“Even the winds and waves obey him!”
Matthew 8:23-27

As I read this passage today, the Lord prompted me to jot down a few observations:

1.  A few verses prior to this, Jesus said, "Let us go over to the other side of the lake."  He expressly did not say, "Let us go out into the middle of the lake and drown."  What Jesus intends to do, He does.

2.  The disciples - familiar with boating on the Sea of Galilee - only woke Jesus up as a last resort, after they had tried everything they knew to save themselves.

3.  The disciples' focus - the storm.

4.  The disciples' confidence - themselves, their skills and their experience.

5.  Jesus' focus:  their faith.

6.  Whether the disciples realized it or not, with Jesus in the boat, they were secure.

There is no question that life is not the way it is advertised.  It is not always the way we would like it to be.  There will be storms, both figurative and literal.  We will be assailed by circumstances over which we have no control, and by some of our own making.  

Today, our country is threatened by increasing moral ambiguity, political upheaval and economic uncertainty.  These trends affect each one of us individually and threaten the very future of our nation.  As one who has invested so much of my life in service to the nation,  I find it easy to be drawn in by the purveyors of anxiety, and to expend large amounts of emotional energy in formulating resentments and arguments toward people and events outside of my control.

But Jesus' words to me are the same as His words to the disciples:  "Why are you afraid?"  
(In Luke's account, His question is, "Where is - in what do you place - your faith?")

Today's passage reminds me of several things that contribute to lowered blood pressure:

1.  Jesus is with me, and He has promised to take me to "the other side."  What He intends to do, He does.

2.  Jesus is stronger than the storms that assail, and has all authority in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18)

3.  Jesus' purposes are greater than the security of this or any other particular country.  He is doing what He has always been doing:  gathering a distinct people for His own possession who will live in fellowship with Him, to His present and eternal glory.

4.  Therefore, I need to keep confidence in Jesus, and not allow myself to be driven into an emotional frenzy over temporal events over which I have no control.

5.  I need to look to Jesus first - not last.  Prayer is not "the only thing left to do." Rather, it is the one thing I need to do first - and last - looking to the One who actually can do something about the circumstances in which I find myself.

6.  I need Him - and others - to help me remember these things, to "encourage me day after day, lest I be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."  (Hebrews 3:13)  Jesus never, ever intended me to make this journey (to the other side) by myself.

Forgive Us Our Debts

Pray then like this:

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven out debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

For if you forgive others their trespasses  your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

- Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 6:9-15)

Edward Everett

Lincoln in 1863

It is a 35-minute drive from my house to Gettysburg, site of the most famous battle ever fought on American soil, and site of the National Cemetery which was dedicated November 19, 1863 as a final resting place for Union soldiers who fell in that battle.  At that dedication, a well-known orator by the name of Edward Everett delivered a two-hour speech consisting of 13,607 words, an oration which the world little notes nor long remembers.  Following his eloquent speech, the 16th President of the United States spoke 271 dedicatory words which the world has never forgotten.  Abraham Lincoln's little speech took just over two minutes to deliver, but it is noted as one of the great speeches ever given in the English language, or any language.  In just three paragraphs, Lincoln captured the essence of the American experiment and articulated the longing of all human hearts for freedom and equality.  It is appropriate that this speech has been memorized by millions of American school children in the years since; may it continue to be so.

What we commonly refer to as The Lord's Prayer (which may more properly be called "the model prayer," or "the disciple's prayer"), which Jesus taught to His disciples, is likewise a model of simplicity and brevity.  Jesus gave it to His disciples in response to their request that He teach them how to pray.  They may have been surprised when Jesus taught them not to heap up empty phrases, repeating them over and over, like many of the religious leaders of their day, but to pray simply, humbly and to the point.

In the centuries since, the Church has cherished the Lord's simple words far more than those of Lincoln, but we seem often to forget the rest of His instructions concerning prayer. We either repeat this prayer in an empty-headed, distracted kind of way as part of our formal or informal liturgies, or we ignore it altogether and ramble on in a cascade of words.  Worse yet, some pray this prayer in a rote way, hoping that the act of saying these precise words will merit them a blessing from God.  Would that we would use this prayer as the Lord intended, and teach it to our children and to those we disciple, as a model to follow - a model of both substance and simplicity!

Perhaps most egregious among our abuses of the Lord's Prayer is the glib way in which we speak the phrase, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."  It shocked me when I realized that by praying this phrase, I am actually asking God to forgive me to the same extent and in the same way as I forgive those who have offended me!  What a horrifying concept!  To think that I become the example which I would have God follow in extending His forgiveness to me - one so desperately in need of His total forgiveness - causes my blood to run cold, and causes me to search my heart before I say the words.

It is instructive that this element of the prayer is the only phrase upon which Jesus gives commentary:  If you forgive others their offenses against you, your Father will forgive you.  If you don't, neither will He forgive your offenses against Him.  Very, very sobering indeed!  To be unforgiven by God is to be in the state which sends souls to hell - a very real place I never, ever want to see, let alone be confined for eternity.  

Jesus' model prayer is a profound motivation against holding bitterness or hardness of heart toward anyone, and should cause each of us to search our hearts to see if their is anyone from whom we might be withholding the very forgiveness we ourselves crave, and upon which our eternity depends.

"So Help Me, God?"

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States 

against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; 

that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion;

and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.

So help me God.”

Title 5, United States Code, § 3331

Upon being commissioned an officer in the armed services of the United States, an individual is required to take this oath of office.  The first time I took this obligation upon myself, it was with all those in my graduating class who were being commissioned second lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force.  On subsequent occasions relating to promotion, this same oath was administered to me personally.  I have also had the great privilege of administering the same oath to several other newly-minted officers, including my son, upon his graduation from West Point.  It is an oath that all military officers share, regardless of service, and it places each one of us under the common authority of our Constitution and those who administer it. It is that which binds all officers together, past, present and future.  We consider it sacred, and it governs the conduct of all our duties.

It grieves me deeply that, given the path our nation currently seems to be following, it seems inevitable that the words, "so help me God," should soon be deleted from the oath, or at minimum made optional.  By so doing, we formalize the notion that we do not need God, even though Jesus clearly said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing."  (It is also somewhat remarkable that the oath of the President, who is our Commander-in-Chief, does not contain these words, though he may add them at his discretion after the oath.)

Yet today I read a passage in which Jesus also commanded his followers not to have varying degrees of integrity:

“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, 

‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ 

But I say, do not make any vows!

Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne.

And do not say, ‘By the earth!’because the earth is his footstool.

And do not say, By Jerusalem!’for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. 

Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black.

 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’

Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

Matthew 5:33-37

It seems the Jews of Jesus' day had gotten into the custom of fudging on their commitments by making their promises conditional, based upon the relative value of that to which they attached their promise.  If someone would swear by the temple, it was possible he would keep his promise, but if he swore by the gold on the temple, well, that was obligatory!  Jesus allowed for no such equivocation.  "If you say, 'Yes,' mean what you say.  If you say, 'No,' mean that as well.  Period."

There was a small flap last week about whether President Obama ought to place his hand on the Bible as he takes his second inaugural oath.  This symbol, recognizing accountability to God for his actions, is seen as objectionable to some.  Yet, what Jesus is telling us is this:  Whether we put our hand on the Holy Bible, the Holy Qur'an, the telephone directory or any other book is really irrelevant.  Whether we say the words, "So help me God," or not, it is still God to whom we will ultimately give account for our actions, it is still God who will judge us, it is still Jesus upon whom we are dependent, whether or not we acknowledge Him, for every single act, even so small as getting up out of bed in the morning.

So, say what you mean, and mean what you say, Jesus says.  "Let your 'yes' be 'yes,' and your 'no' be 'no.'  For His followers, the obligations are the same, regardless of the symbols.

The Many and the Few

Jesus traveled throughout the region...teaching...and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom.  And he healed every kind of disease and illness.  News about him spread...and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick.  And whatever their sickness or disease,

or if they were demon possessed or or epileptic or paralyzed - he healed them all.

 Large crowds followed Him wherever He went...

Matthew 4:23-25

At the outset of Jesus' ministry, one thing he didn't have was a shortage of followers.  The word traveled like wildfire throughout Galilee and the surrounding regions about this itinerant rabbi who had both the power and the willingness to heal, whose teaching was so different from that of the Jewish scribes.  More and more people sought him out, bringing their problems with them.  Graciously, he healed them, even as he taught them about God's Kingdom.  As the word spread, the size of his ministry increased rapidly. As we shall see in future posts, it wasn't long before the size of his ministry actually presented serious logistical problems!

Still, this passage of scripture indicates that many, if not most, of these people came to Jesus primarily in the hope that He would give them an improved quality of life.  What they wanted was life without sickness, life without pain, life without conflicts, disease or mental instability - and they hoped Jesus would provide this.  The hope of comfort and ease never fails to draw a crowd.

This multitude stands in contrast to that small band of men whom Jesus called by name with the promise of showing them how to "fish for people."  Peter, Andrew, James and John did not come to Jesus expecting a life of convenience or ease.  In fact, these few - and the others whom Jesus would name as Apostles - gave up the comforts of family and the stability of regular income in order to simply be close to Jesus.  Their desire was to learn from him, and share in this great movement called the Kingdom.

This contrast begs me ask:  Why do I follow Jesus?  Of which group am I a part: the ones hoping for comforts, convenience and a life free from pain; or I am of those - called by name - who simply want to be with him, come what may, believing there is no better place to be - in this world or the next?