Scripture Readings
Psalm 34:14 - “...seek peace, and pursue it.”
Matthew 5:9 - “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
Sermon “Reflections on Memorial Day”
Twenty or so years ago, when my sister and I cleaned out the family home after my mother died, we found a box of old keepsakes we had never seen before. One of the items in the box was a typed copy of excerpts from my Grandmother Schmidt’s diary. One of my aunts had typed it up and given it as a present to all of her siblings, including my dad. (My Grandmother Schmidt had 13 children, 11 of whom lived until adulthood; she raised her children on a farm in Pawnee Rock, Kansas.)
My grandmother started her diary in the early 1940’s, after all of her children had grown up and left home. By that time, she had been a widow already for 18 years, and two of her sons were serving in active combat in the Army in World War II. I want to share with you a couple of her brief diary entries. She writes: “And now we are in the Beautiful Month of May in 1944 and never have the lilacs, yellow roses and peonies been so pretty and full of blossoms as in this year, lilies, too. But I long for my children. I am alone so much and war goes on, and I don’t know where the boys are, but are under God’s sky somewhere and I must wait till they come.”
And then another entry, a year and a half later: “Now it is October, 1945. Everything looks pretty, rains have come, and the good news [is] that war is over and the boys will be home sometime soon. Be it said that God has kept my sons, in this conflict of bloodshed, so far. Almost four years have passed and I have been by myself a good bit but I could pray for my family.”
Every time I read these excerpts, I cry. You can hear the pain in her writing: the pain of loneliness; the pain of not knowing what horrors her beloved sons were living through; the pain of not knowing whether or not they were even still living. And there was another pain, as well. My grandmother was a pacifist. She was a Mennonite, which is a Protestant denomination, like Amish, and it is a central Mennonite belief that human beings should abstain from war, no matter what. Her understanding was based in Scripture, which I will get into a little bit later. However, as often happens in families, some of her children believed differently, and two of her sons--my uncles-- volunteered to fight for their country.
I bring all of this up to illustrate what we already know--and some of you know firsthand--that war is painful and complex. Even when we are fighting for the ideals that we all hold dear--justice, freedom, democracy--combatants and their families are not spared from pain. Some of it is physical pain from injuries; some of it is the emotional pain of combat: grief and guilt, fear and anger and shame; and some of it is the emotional pain that arises because family members have different beliefs and understandings of a particular war--or war in general.
And this is why communities come together on Memorial Day, and why we remember Memorial Day in our worship this weekend. Regardless of any of our particular beliefs or understandings about war, we come together to acknowledge our shared pain. We come together to thank all those who have served and to remember especially those who have paid the highest price and given their lives fighting for democratic ideals--so that the rest of us could live in freedom. In fact, we are able to be here today in freedom because of them--thanks be to God. So to honor them, let us remember today to pray for them, for each other, for our country, and for our world. And, as followers of Jesus, let us each and all pledge our lives to work for peace, for that is what both of our Scripture readings today call us to do.
Psalm 34:14 says, “…seek peace and pursue it.” This verse of Scripture is an acknowledgement that peace is not something that is to be passively accepted; it is something to be actively pursued. The word for peace in Hebrew is shalom, which does not mean absence of conflict but rather means finding healing, wholeness, and salvation in God even despite our circumstances. And the pursuit of peace begins by humbly turning to God and joining in partnership with God to create a peace that is based on God’s values. We can’t create a peace by ourselves, at least not peace that lasts. We need God’s love, justice, grace, and forgiveness as a foundation in order to build a lasting peace in our world.
Jesus, in Matthew 5:9, says: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” For Jesus, also, peace is not something that is to be passively accepted; it is to be actively pursued. He says we need to “make” peace. One commentator puts it this way, “[The word] ‘Peacemakers’ does not connote a passive attitude, but positive actions for reconciliation.” (Professor Eugene Boring in New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, Vol. VIII, p. 180). In fact, this verse, as you may know, is part of a larger passage in Matthew called “The Beatitudes,” which all scholars agree can be traced back to the teaching of the historical Jesus. Jesus, in the Beatitudes, says things that challenge the common wisdom of people in his day-- and ours. He encourages his followers to base their actions NOT on things that may help them succeed in the world in terms of money or possessions or power--but rather to base their actions--our actions-- on God’s values. Values which build God’s Kingdom of Love, God’s kindom of relationships.
So my friends, this Memorial Day weekend, let us come together to remember in prayer those who have died to defend the values we all hold dear. Let us acknowledge the pain and sacrifices made by them and their families, and let us honor their memory by following Jesus--pledging ourselves to be channels of God’s love, justice and peace in the world. Let us pray.
PRAYER (first paragraph adapted from Touch Holiness)
Spirit of the Living God, we confess that we have not always accepted the challenge of living your peace in the world. Sometimes we define peace in ways that preserve our own self-interests, overlooking the possibility that your peace may call us to great sacrifice. Sometimes we are content to believe that speaking of peace is sufficient, forgetting that your peace calls us to action and transformation. Sometimes, when we are speaking of peace, we may disrespect the sacrifice that men and women have made in fighting to preserve human freedoms. Merciful God, forgive our lack of imagination and courage; forgive our disrespect. Empower us to strive anew to make our world a place in which your just and loving peace abounds.
In the name of Jesus, who is called “the Prince of Peace,” hear us as we pray for our world. We pray for those places that are torn by conflict and war. And we pray that leaders--and people-- will align themselves with your values of justice for all, particularly for those who have suffered for generations, the poor and marginalized. We think particularly of Israel and Palestine. We are grateful for the ceasefire that is now in place, and we pray that leaders and people can find ways to move forward that address the issue of equity between peoples.
And God, in our own country, we remember the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa massacre, where a thriving African American community was decimated and 300 black people lost their lives at the hands of white people fueled by hatred and fear. Oh God, help us to learn from this horrific history. Help us to acknowledge that, as human beings, there are times when hatred and fear leap into our hearts like armed warriors--leading us to lash out at those who are different from us in race or culture. And the more power we have, the more damage we can do to the other. Help us, O God, not to surrender to these base emotions. May reason prevail that we may see all human beings as brothers and sisters despite our skin color. And may we truly work for liberty and justice for all.
We pray also for our community….
- Moment of silence…lifting up in prayer those we hold in our hearts.. others in this room and in our livestream… [PAUSE]
- O God, bless the sick… those who are struggling… those who are grieving…caregivers… Give them strength and healing…. In Jesus name, Amen
PLEASE JOIN ME IN THE LORD’S PRAYER
- Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven
- Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts
As we forgive our debtors`
- And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. AMEN
Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt
Franklin Federated Church
Franklin, MA
Note: First part of sermon is based on comments I made on May 27, 2019 at Memorial Day Services in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA.