The soldier and his/her Lord share a similar road.
Whenever a soldier gets a call to go away to war, he or she has absolutely no idea if they will return home.
There are absolutely no guarantees.
No guarantees about your personal safety.
No guarantees that you won't get shot or even killed.
No guarantees that you'll ever see your family again.
There is also no guarantee that if/when you return that people will be there to support you.
Former Army Specialist Casey Elder is just such a case.
In 2004 during a routine ride with her unit through Baghdad her Humvee was struck by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
The explosion would dislocate her shoulder and cause permanent joint and nerve damage.
Spending some time in recovery, Casey finally got to come home.
But some wounds heal slowly, if they heal at all.
She began to suffer from short-term memory loss coupled with balance problem and then severe migraines.
After being misdiagnosed several times, she finally got what she needed from her local VA hospital.
The cause of her pain was a traumatic brain injury.
The next logical step was to file a report with the Department of Veterans Affairs, in 2009, 5 years after the incident had happened.
She assumed that a diagnosis from a VA hospital would help her receive some much needed compensation.
But that assumption would prove to be painfully wrong.
In 2004 during a routine ride with her unit through Baghdad her Humvee was struck by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
The explosion would dislocate her shoulder and cause permanent joint and nerve damage.
Spending some time in recovery, Casey finally got to come home.
But some wounds heal slowly, if they heal at all.
She began to suffer from short-term memory loss coupled with balance problem and then severe migraines.
After being misdiagnosed several times, she finally got what she needed from her local VA hospital.
The cause of her pain was a traumatic brain injury.
The next logical step was to file a report with the Department of Veterans Affairs, in 2009, 5 years after the incident had happened.
She assumed that a diagnosis from a VA hospital would help her receive some much needed compensation.
But that assumption would prove to be painfully wrong.
After waiting eight months, Casey was shocked to learn that her claim had been rejected. Her only recourse was to appeal the VA's decision, an arduous, drawn-out process. An article written in Februaray 2010 by Paul Rieckhoff, founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America stated that more than a year after she started this journey, Casey was still waiting for word on whether or not she will receive her hard-earned benefits.
I can't help but make some parallel between what our Lord went through and what a soldier goes through.
Take a read of Isaiah 53 and see if you see what I do.
Isaiah 53:7-12
New International Version (NIV)
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression[a] and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.[b]
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression[a] and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.[b]
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes[c] his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life[d] and be satisfied[e];
by his knowledge[f] my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[g]
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,[h]
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Suffering. Hurting. Giving it all, and not for one's self.
Giving it all for the well-being of others.
If a soldier knows anything, he or she knows that they will have to overcome fear and be subjected to judgement.
Our Lord was subjected to judgement by his peers.
"He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him."
How many of our soldiers come home and find opposition to the job they perform, sometimes within their own family?
As the song by country duo Montgomery Gentry suggests
Didn't I burn?
Didn't I bleed?
Enough, for you?
I faced your fears, felt pain
So you won't have to
Didn't I do my best?
And, wasn't home here when I left?
Sometimes the 'burn' and the 'bleed is not experienced on the field of war, but on the battlefront at home.
I quote to you from an article written by Sydney J. Freeberg Jr. in the National Journal in Sept. 2010.
Going off to war is hard. All too often, so is coming home.
The total number of American troops deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq has finally started to come down. But from on-base counseling offices to the White House, the realization is growing that the strain on military families does not end when the warriors come home. Problems as severe as post-traumatic stress disorder and as mundane as who pays the bills can make reintegration after the deployment as difficult as the separation during it.
Matthew McCollum's brother, a marine, died in Afghanistan. When Matthew, an Army major, later deployed to the Afghan war, his wife, Angel, held herself and their two sons together during the year apart. "I kept saying, 'Your Uncle Dan is your Daddy's angel; he'll watch over him, I promise,' " she told National Journal. She even managed to move the family from one base to another in anticipation of her husband's transfer to a new unit. Finally, in the first days after Matthew's return to the United States, while he was still at his old base dealing with post-deployment paperwork, the dam broke.
"I called him one evening and it was, like, 9:30 to 10:00 at night, [and] he didn't answer, and I immediately got panicked," Angel said. "I kept on calling and calling.... By 11:30, I was ready to call the front desk to have them key into his room to make sure he wasn't dead." When Matthew finally got in and called his wife, he chided her for overreacting. Angel's response could serve as a credo for those whose war is on the home front:
The McCollums talked it through and stayed together -- and he stayed in the Army. But not every military family makes it.
Our Lord and Savior took enough chiding and ridicule from his own family.
Remember when they wanted him to reveal himself at the Feast of the Tabernacles?
The 60's were a hotbed of turmoil and lashing out at the government.
If you grew up through that time I'm sure you remember the riots, the protests.
Soldiers were not well thought of upon their return in many cases.
And, as if the scars of a war that made no sense was not enough the hurt the soul, people back here at home made the soldier feel horrible as if the choice was their to go and fight in that war.
40 some years later we'd like to think we have grown and become better as a society, but in some cases it looks as if we are still mired in the same ridicule and hatred.
Soldiers who come home from Iran and Afghanistan find people here at home who do not agree with our country's involvement in that part of the world.
And, the opposition is staggering.
Our soldier's made a decision to serve.
They choose to make decision to serve, protect, to give their lives.
But, they personally do not make a decision where they are to go and serve.
Those decisions are made from higher up the chain of command.
And, they are obliged to obey and trust their command.
We might not agree with our countries decisions, but we are obligated to honor our soldiers and protect them, just as they have chosen to protect us.
As we honor our veterans on this Sunday, we lift them up and ask that God walk with them, talk with them and lead them in their way.
God love them, protect them, and please bring the back home to us.
And, if that somehow be impossible, please bring us the strength to stand firm for our families on the front lines at home.
http://www.govexec.com/defense/2010/09/for-soldiers-coming-home-can-be-as-hard-as-leaving/32362/
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/02/10/rieckhoff/
and though the Lord makes[c] his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life[d] and be satisfied[e];
by his knowledge[f] my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[g]
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,[h]
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Suffering. Hurting. Giving it all, and not for one's self.
Giving it all for the well-being of others.
If a soldier knows anything, he or she knows that they will have to overcome fear and be subjected to judgement.
Our Lord was subjected to judgement by his peers.
"He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him."
How many of our soldiers come home and find opposition to the job they perform, sometimes within their own family?
As the song by country duo Montgomery Gentry suggests
Didn't I burn?
Didn't I bleed?
Enough, for you?
I faced your fears, felt pain
So you won't have to
Didn't I do my best?
And, wasn't home here when I left?
Sometimes the 'burn' and the 'bleed is not experienced on the field of war, but on the battlefront at home.
I quote to you from an article written by Sydney J. Freeberg Jr. in the National Journal in Sept. 2010.
Going off to war is hard. All too often, so is coming home.
The total number of American troops deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq has finally started to come down. But from on-base counseling offices to the White House, the realization is growing that the strain on military families does not end when the warriors come home. Problems as severe as post-traumatic stress disorder and as mundane as who pays the bills can make reintegration after the deployment as difficult as the separation during it.
Matthew McCollum's brother, a marine, died in Afghanistan. When Matthew, an Army major, later deployed to the Afghan war, his wife, Angel, held herself and their two sons together during the year apart. "I kept saying, 'Your Uncle Dan is your Daddy's angel; he'll watch over him, I promise,' " she told National Journal. She even managed to move the family from one base to another in anticipation of her husband's transfer to a new unit. Finally, in the first days after Matthew's return to the United States, while he was still at his old base dealing with post-deployment paperwork, the dam broke.
"I called him one evening and it was, like, 9:30 to 10:00 at night, [and] he didn't answer, and I immediately got panicked," Angel said. "I kept on calling and calling.... By 11:30, I was ready to call the front desk to have them key into his room to make sure he wasn't dead." When Matthew finally got in and called his wife, he chided her for overreacting. Angel's response could serve as a credo for those whose war is on the home front:
"Did you pray for me every single night that you were gone that somebody wouldn't shoot me or blow me up or kill me or drag my body through the streets?... Did you pray for me every night that I wouldn't have a heart attack from the stress?" she asked her husband. "Matt, I have been holding your vigil.... Until you've rocked your sons to sleep and assured them as they were crying that Daddy would be OK and things were going to be all right, you have no right to tell me I've overreacted."And that's the only argument we had," Angel finished with a laugh.
The McCollums talked it through and stayed together -- and he stayed in the Army. But not every military family makes it.
Our Lord and Savior took enough chiding and ridicule from his own family.
Remember when they wanted him to reveal himself at the Feast of the Tabernacles?
John 7:1-4
New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Goes to the Festival of Tabernacles
7 After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want[a] to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. 2 But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. 4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”
Can you here the sentiment in the voices of the brothers?
There is no nice way to say it. They do not believe in Jesus.
There is no nice way to say it. They do not believe in Jesus.
Maybe some public ridicule will make him see the light about "being the Messiah".
Sure, go up to Judea. Let everybody know who you are.
How many of our soldiers have family, friends, co-workers who do not share their cause to protect us and keep us safe?
In light if the soldiers plight it as if Isaiah's words apply to them...
8 By oppression[a] and judgment he was taken away.Soldier who returned from Vietnam know this all to well.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
The 60's were a hotbed of turmoil and lashing out at the government.
If you grew up through that time I'm sure you remember the riots, the protests.
Soldiers were not well thought of upon their return in many cases.
And, as if the scars of a war that made no sense was not enough the hurt the soul, people back here at home made the soldier feel horrible as if the choice was their to go and fight in that war.
40 some years later we'd like to think we have grown and become better as a society, but in some cases it looks as if we are still mired in the same ridicule and hatred.
Soldiers who come home from Iran and Afghanistan find people here at home who do not agree with our country's involvement in that part of the world.
And, the opposition is staggering.
Our soldier's made a decision to serve.
They choose to make decision to serve, protect, to give their lives.
But, they personally do not make a decision where they are to go and serve.
Those decisions are made from higher up the chain of command.
And, they are obliged to obey and trust their command.
We might not agree with our countries decisions, but we are obligated to honor our soldiers and protect them, just as they have chosen to protect us.
As we honor our veterans on this Sunday, we lift them up and ask that God walk with them, talk with them and lead them in their way.
God love them, protect them, and please bring the back home to us.
And, if that somehow be impossible, please bring us the strength to stand firm for our families on the front lines at home.
http://www.govexec.com/defense/2010/09/for-soldiers-coming-home-can-be-as-hard-as-leaving/32362/
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/02/10/rieckhoff/
