Saint Martin's Cloak

I gave this invocation at my command's formal holiday (aka Christmas) dinner on December 14, 2012. * * * The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. O Lord, you have indeed brought light into our lives. The joy that we feel tonight as we gather together around these tables is but a taste of the good things you pour into our lives. I thank you at this moment for the gifts of food and friendship, for the work that you enable us to do and for the times of rest that refresh us. We are grateful for the promise that this season holds, and I pray for those in our military family who will find merriment difficult this year. For those who are grieving the loss of loved ones. For those who are separated by deployment away from friends and family. And for those still carrying around the wounds of war, whether visible or invisible. Bless us all, I pray, not with presents and packages wrapped up with bows, but by an...

Praying at military ceremonies and other secular events is the subject of considerable public controversy. Some see it as a form of civil religion, with the state coopting religious faith to lend divine legitimacy the empire. Others see the opposite, with public prayers establishing the dominant religion's cultural and political hegemony. Christianity, of course, is the dominant religion within the United States, so the argument concerns both religion in general and Christianity in particular. One point of view posits that public religious events are evidence of the church's subservience to the state. Others posit that they are evidence of Christianity's dominance of the state. Furthermore, some see Christian dominance as proper, giving God his rightful place in society, while others see it as improper, with every civic expression of religion being oppressive to the minority or distorting the essence of true faith. You will find advocates of each position shouting at each ...

How ancient does something have to be to be a tradition? Christ the King Sunday is one of my favorite festivals of the Christian year. Its vision of Christ’s reign, both now and in the age to come, can bring me to tears. How strange it was to find that it is not an ancient observance. Pope Pius XI instituted the feast of Christ the King in 1925, at least in part to thumb his nose at Mussolini, who assumed dictatorial powers that year. The pope wanted to remind Christians that Christ is king over all the kings of this world. The Christian’s first allegiance is to God and his kingdom, not to any ruler or nation on earth. The kings of the earth, are in fact, subject to Christ. And now, as Paul Harvey would say, you know the rest of the story.

In the United States, Veterans Day fell on a Sunday this year. As they do every year, the citizens of the United States honored Veterans with parades and ceremonies and concerts and pats on the back. Restaurants offered free meals and stores offered discounts to those who have worn the nation's uniform. "Thank you for your service." I heard the words more than once today. Americans consistently (and rightfully) rank the military as one of the most trusted and respected institutions in the country. It's easy to get a big head. Everyone (well, most everyone) loves a man or woman in uniform. But Veterans Day fell on a Sunday this year, and those who belong to the people of God gather on this day to remember the one who died for their sins in accordance with the scriptures, who on the third day rose again from the dead and who will come again to judge the living and the dead. Even if you are surrounded (as we are in military chapels) with patriotic emblems and banners...

Christians in the United States and other participatory democracies have the opportunity to influence the governance of their communities for good. Voting for public officials is one way in which Christians can love their neighbors and "seek the shalom of the city" (Jer 29:7) where God has planted us, while we wait for "the eternal city that God has planned and built." (Heb 11:10). Here are a few thoughts about the civic environment (and these are purely purely personal reflections), <!-- wp:more --> <!--more--> <!-- /wp:more --> Voting is not your civic duty. Informed, responsible voting is your civic duty. If you don't have a clue, don't vote. Voting is not the totality of your civic duty; it's only a tiny slice of your civic duty. Being a good person, a good family member, a good neighbor and a good employee are all much more important. You owe your community more than the 15 minutes it takes to stand in line and vote. ...

This afternoon, I had the privilege of listening to one of our country's wounded warriors speak about the importance of employing people with disabilities. He was filled with energy and enthusiasm, and he approached his topic with a sense of humor. And even though the speech was about the benefits of hiring disabled veterans, I found myself listening for clues to his remarkable joy. Staff Sergeant Shilo Harris was wounded in 2007 in an IED attack that killed most of his team. He suffered deep burns over 35% of his body. He lost both of his ears and most of his hearing. He suffered facial disfigurement and lost several fingers. His spine and collar bone were broken. He was ultimately evacuated to a large military medical facility in the United States. There, he spent 48 days in a coma, and then three years in treatment and recovery. He was medically retired in 2010. Somewhere along the line, there must have been some very dark days. Extraordinary and courageous medical care p...

The Army values are Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage. The last one starts with “P” so that together they can form the acronym L – D – R –S – H – I – P. That's brilliantly easy to remember. Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage. Those are the Army's values, but what kind of values are they? Do they work in your home? Are they applicable when you are with your friends? Are they equally valid as you relate with your neighbors and your community? Is there any universal validity to them, or is the Army simply pushing them because they serve the Army’s purposes. <!--more-->Several million Americans work in fast food restaurants or big retail stores, and I’m certain that many of those companies promote a corporate value that goes something like this: we appreciate our customers. Always treat the customer with courtesy. That’s a good thing, I think. I expect the clerk behind the counter to ...