A Pastoral Note Regarding Memorial Day


***This note was included in the weekly newsletter of my congregation.***

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,


This Monday is Memorial Day. For many, it is a day off from work and spent with family or with friends for picnics. For some, it remains a sad day to remember those who have worn a military uniform in service to our country and laid down their lives in defense of their fellow man. 


There is no way around it; war is an ugly endeavor that no one should ever desire. St. Augustine writes regarding war and peace:


“Peace is not sought in order to provoke war, but war is waged in order to attain peace. Be a peacemaker, then, even by fighting, so that through your victory you might bring those whom you defeat to the advantages of peace. ‘Blessed are the peacemakers,’ says the Lord, ‘for they will be called children of God’ (St. Mt 5:9).”


The peacemakers are those individuals called into the battles of this world, not for glory or the rush of adrenaline, but the peace of fellow man. They are trained in their vocations as you and I are trained within ours. Martin Luther writes:


"A craftsman may sell his skill to anyone who will have it, and thus serve the one to whom he sells it, so long as this is not against his ruler and his community. In the same way, a soldier has his skill in fighting from God and can use it in the service of whoever desires to have it, exactly as though his skill were an art or trade, and he can take pay for it as he would for his work. For the soldier's vocation also springs from the law of love."


Like all our vocations, being a Soldier or member of the military is to be carried out in love and service to God and one’s neighbor. Sometimes this even requires one’s life. 


You will recall these words of Jesus in the well-known passage of St. John, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13) These words are not a demand to lay down one's life but rather reveal to what heights our love should rise for one another as Christ Himself laid down His life for us upon the cross of Calvary. 


As we pause this weekend, pray for the comfort of families that continue to mourn their military member’s death. Thank God for raising up neighbors willing to sacrifice their lives out of love for you and your family. And attend the Divine Service to receive the forgiveness and everlasting life won for you through Jesus Christ, who laid down His life for you, defeating sin, death, and the Devil.


In His death, we are united into one body, brought into everlasting life, which is worthy of remembrance.  


In Christ Jesus,

Pastor Rogness 


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