I will refrain from saying “Happy Memorial Day”. It is NOT a happy day. It is a day instead of reflect upon the sacrifice of “U.S. men and women who died while in the military service” (Wikipedia). If you are free, then it is in part due to the sacrifice of someone else. In addition, God made it possible for willing people to be in the right places at the right times. So much of human history has instead been about oppression of one another.
I certainly hope there aren’t churches this weekend engaging in some quasi-patriotic scene of Temple Prostitution like last year, but I assume there probably will be anyhow.
That should not stop us from considering how some were willing to give it all, though, and be thankful for it. A soldier is prepared to give his or her life if need be in service to others.
No wonder Paul often made comparisons between Christians and soldiers.
The holiday didn't come up in my congregation. Instead, the sermon was about "Preparing for Persecution" — which included a mention of how U.S. disobedience of God has forced our military to have female members.
It seems to me that we as a nation have a lot more important things to worry about than females in the military. Frankly, I'll take a dozen Jaels over a hundred Achans any day!
Don't worry – other things were mentioned, too. Such as the Attorney General refusing to call radical Islam an enemy in testimony before Congress (or something like that; didn't write down the exact quote).
And I'm still trying to track down the size of Al Sharpton's house.
Richard-
Seemed your sermon was all about worldy politics. I dont understand why ministers do not just teach scripture vs teaching right wing ideology. I find that shameful.
Admittedly I'm mentioning the more unusual "extra-Biblical" comments, several of them seemingly ad-libbed.
He DID quote a good deal of Scripture. But the embedded "extras" keep coming back to mind, well after the sermon's over.