A good friend of mine, the Rev. John B. Erthein from Elderton Presbyterian Church in PA sent me a copy of a sermon he recently gave to his congregation. I had sent him an email letting him know that as of 1 Aug I’m getting promoted to Master Sergeant, E8 (oh, by the way, on 1 Aug I’m getting promoted to Master Sargeant, E8). He replied and sent this to me and I asked him if I could put publish it here. While it’s a message to his Presbyterian congregation, it’s something I think we can all stand to hear (I like it and I’m not Presbyterian either). If you don’t like to read about God and country, just skip this post and don’t click

This is the second sermon in my series on actions and events of the recent General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Considering that July 4 is coming up, I thought it appropriate to share with you a particular experience I had, which was attending the luncheon organized by the Presbyterian Council on Chaplains and Military Personnel. Our congregation designates $1,000 in mission support each year for that ministry, and I wanted to support the chaplains by my presence. For me, this was one of the emotional high points of the General Assembly. We heard from two chaplains who recently served in Iraq for an entire year. Imagine that … a year away from one’s family and community, serving in a hot, dangerous and unpleasant part of the world. And of course that has been the case for tens of thousands of American soldiers as well.

To be a soldier is to fulfil one of the most difficult callings imaginable. To be a soldier means to represent the hard fighting edge of the United States of America. Ideally, to be a soldier means to represent what is best about our nation: to show courage, comradeship and the willingness to sacrifice oneself for a cause greater than oneself.
At this luncheon we heard some of the soldiers’ stories. We heard about acts of bravery performed in spite of fear or homesickness. When soldiers would go on patrol, who knows what would greet them around the next corner or behind the next door? And yet, they performed their duties with great professionalism and a belief in their mission.

We heard about acts of compassion performed in spite of anger towards terrorists, and the concern that anyone looking like an innocent civilian could indeed be a terrorist. In fact, let me talk about that for a moment. You won’t hear about this in most of the media … and you won’t even hear it from our own denominational press. But American soldiers are working to make life better for the people of Iraq. One of the chaplain reported that the US military had taken over a hospital that Saddam Hussein had built especially for himself and his family. Although the military runs the hospital, most of the people treated are not American soldiers, but Iraqi civilians … about 80%. That is just one example of how America’s soldiers are trying to reach out with compassion in spite of being in a dirty and dangerous situation.

I also really loved hearing about how Army Chaplains were using Saddam Hussein’s former swimming pool to perform baptisms!

This all ties into the relationship between being an American soldier and being a Christian. I believe the text I chose for today shows that we owe our country some deference … not the same amount as we owe Jesus Christ, but we do owe those in authority some respect and loyalty. Even the Roman Emperor had a divinely given authority that was to be respected. This level of respect is also shown in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, where Jesus refuses to fall into the trap of advocating tax evasion, saying that Caesar has his due as well as God.

And let’s also consider Jesus’ encounter with a Roman Centurion as reported in Matthew 8:5-13 (read passage).

Let’s see what happens here: Jesus does not condemn the centurion for his military service. He does not even tell him to ‘go and sin no more.’ He ministers to the centurion, praising him for his great faith. I think that this passage, along with the others I remarked upon, show that Jesus was not a pacifist, that he did not call upon soldiers to give up their vocation. Being a soldier is not in itself any kind of violation of Christian morality, although obviously soldiers can violate God’s law by specific actions, such as allegedly committing atrocities in Iraq. But anyone in any occupation can violate God’s law. Soldiers are not to be seen as uniquely sinful.

I think Martin Luther had the correct interpretation of the Scriptures, when he wrote that although in the Christian community itself, people are supposed to refrain from violence towards each other, in a fallen world there has to be a lawfully constituted state authority, including police forces and militaries. And one of our own confessions, the Second Helvetic Confession, declares that it is noble and honorable for a Christian to serve in such a capacity.

So as Americans who love our country, but also as Christians who love our Lord, I believe we too are called to minister to the brave men and women who serve in the armed forces, especially those in harm’s way in Iraq. I don’t know how well our national denomination has done with that, though. Some of our national leaders, including the former Moderator of the General Assembly, Rick Ufford-Chase, sound close to be pacifist … or at the least they so strongly oppose the war in Iraq, or the current Administration, that they cannot bring themselves to support the mission of the soldiers in Iraq. In one incident I found stunning, Mr. Ufford-Chase wrote online that because of his opposition to the war, he would sometimes refuse to join other passengers waiting in an airport who stood and applauded a group of U.S. soldiers walking by.

And two years ago, the General Assembly loudly and self-righteously denounced the invasion of Iraq as ?unwise, illegal and immoral.?

Why does this matter? Is it not possible to support the troops while opposing the War? That sounds like a reasonable position at first glance, but I don’t think it holds up very well under closer examination. Soldiers, and the chaplains who support them, are engaged in very difficult work in Iraq, risking their lives every day. And then those who are Presbyterian hear from their church that what they are doing is ?illegal or immoral.? If you were in that position, would you feel supported if you heard that? I don’t know that I would!

I think the wisest course of action for a church to take is to be very hesitant to make unequivocal pronouncements that could be understood as insensitive to our men and women in uniform. Most of us do not walk in their shoes (or boots, as the case may be.). They need to feel supported by their church. I wish some high church officials had been at the Chaplains’ lunch. I wish the whole General Assembly could have heard what I heard that day.

The church is also called to minister in a positive way to soldiers and their families.

There are some excellent articles in the magazine Christianity Today about our soldiers, and what the church should do and be for them. Patrick Stone, a psychology professor and retired military man, writes:

“When soldiers finally return from war and we hear their stories, Christians can be more active. We must grasp the emotional and spiritual significance of combat for the veterans we meet. Most will move forward with their lives, but some must deal with their numbness and callousness, others may struggle with survivors’ guilt, and some may remember too much, while others will remember too little. Each will be in a different place. Only God knows the actual path each will follow. It is our responsibility as family members, friends, and churches to provide refuge for understanding, reflection, and healing throughout their lives.”

(Speaking Out: Where Atrocity Is Normal
Understanding Christian soldiers who have seen the horrors of war.
by Patrick Stone | posted 06/30/2006 10:00 a.m.)

What can we, as a church, do to minister to soldiers and their families? I believe we must avoid rushing to judgment about conflicts our soldiers are engaged in, while at the same time extending pastoral care to them and their families. We must honor them and their calling.

How we treat our soldiers and their families is a challenge for the church, a Gospel challenge. Let us rise to the occasion.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Rev. John B. Erthein
Elderton Presbyterian Church
Elderton, PA 15736