On February 3, 1943, during WWII, a US Army Transport Ship, the Dorchester, carrying 902 servicemen was struct by a torpedo from a German submarine off the coast of Greenland. Panic and chaos set in quickly and the servicemen raced for lifeboats—the waters were near freezing. Amongst the servicemen were four US Army chaplains—Jewish Rabbi, Methodist Minister, Catholic Priest and a Dutch Reformed Minister—all of which worked hard to calm the frightened servicemen.
On the deck of the ship, they worked to distribute life vests to every servicemen, and as the life vest ran out, each minister simultaneously removed theirs and randomly gave it to those in need. One survivor of the event later said, “It was the finest thing I have ever seen or hoped to see this side of heaven.”
As the ship started plummeting down into the deep cold water, the surviving servicemen watched helplessly as the four chaplains linked their arms together and braced against the slanting deck—while the ship slowly submerged. It was also reported that during this whole ordeal, the chaplains were heard saying prayers and singing hymns all the while ensuring others were taken care in that what was within their power. Ultimately, 230 survived the terrible disaster. ON January 18, 1961, US Congress awarded those four chaplains with distinguished metals that were posthumously given to their next of kin. Tragedy stricken these servicemen on that cold February day. All of them were doing a service to their country—volunteering to fight the war machine in Europe—also realizing some would not come back home. Even though that February day marked itself in history, it does drive to a very important outcome that did justice to God and God’s children. Four different servants of God—four different denominations—four different backgrounds and ethnicity served God faithfully with unswerving devotion not just to God, but to their fellowman. There was no discrimination, no false views of life—reality has now set in, and the only focus was to save, save, save! This is what I believe the one survivor really means when saying, “It was the finest thing I have ever seen or hoped to see this side of heaven.” And just before boarding the Dorchester, the Dutch Reformed minister, Chaplain Poling, asked his father to pray for him saying, “Not for my safe return, that wouldn’t be fair. Just pray that I shall do my duty…never be a coward…and have the strength, courage and understanding of men. Just pray that I shall be adequate.”
Each year at this time, we honor, remember and reflect upon those individuals who served our God and our country faithfully—as it is good and right to remember and honor this sacrifice—for just as Jesus Himself told us in today’s Gospel message in John, “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.” And with this, we all should receive, reflect and respond to the full sacrifice made by all who served freedom. Knowing all too well in what our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ did by sacrificing Himself not just for our freedom, but our very lives! It was in God’s command to love one another without exception—in that, we find hope knowing no matter who we are, God loved us so much, that His only Son came to save us—even the ones we honor on this memorial day.
The sacrifice that God made for each of us is represented by the Cross pure and simple—just as when we look proudly at the flag of our great nation to remember what freedom has costed this nation—what it stands for and what it represents. The idea of freedom is so much greater than ourselves. It starts however with each of us who chose the ultimate path of service—to God, to our nation, and to our fellowman.
My friends, there is no Greater Love than what God has done for us through His only begotten Son. Nothing can compare to it—and I would like you to honestly reflect upon sacrifice for a moment. The four chaplains that served God from four Christian religions or denominations, all served as God would require us to do—just as the Dutch minister requested prayer for just to be adequate! That’s all! As servants of God, we are part of God’s Holy Army, and we are to never to come to God fully prepared, because we never will be—God will equip us, prepare us, and make us ready! We have to make the decision for God, just as millions of service men and women do every year to serve their great nation that they love.
This also steers me to say this morning that without sacrifice there is no hope! None! The four chaplains sacrificed their lives to save hundreds—Christ’s sacrifice saved all mankind. It takes sacrifice to make the difference, to make gold purer, to show our faith in being stronger, to always having us being in tuned with God in all His ways. As I stand here, I reflect also upon just how important Holy Communion is—bread and juice, being the symbolism of Christ body and blood that was sacrificed for all of us. As Christ tells us to drink of the cup and eat of the bread, do this in remembrance of me! Remember Christ! Remember the sacrifice! Remember our Lord! It represents a love that is greater than anything that has ever been given—and this gears towards my final thoughts that when sacrifice is done, it resembles Christ in all aspects.
What greater love can be done as Christ tells us where you lay down your own life for others? All the thugs, drug dealers, murders, thieves, liars, cheaters, adulterers, drunkards, pedophiles, gossipers, back biters, gluttoniers, and so much more. How can anyone lay down their life for people who exercise sin—from the smallest to the largest obscenity? This is exactly what God did for each of us! And do you not think, this is what service men and women did, who paid the ultimate price has also done to help keep us free? So many lives have been lost and even forgotten—mia’s whos names may never be known—but God does. I tell you this my friends. No greater freedom exists that which is found in the greatest sacrifice: the freedom from sin found in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
True love imposes limits on our obsession on freedom. There is a scene in the film Secondhand Lions near the end of the film where a small fatherless boy who has been abandoned by his mother to be raised by his crazy great-uncles. The boy tells one of his uncles, who is prone to depression and has contemplated taking his own life, that he cannot do that because he, the small boy, needs him. “You're my uncle. I need you to stick around and be my uncle.” It’s the point that the faithfulness of love will shape—and constrain—the freedom of love. How many people today can claim God’s love by freeing them from addiction, from a sinful life, from lawless deeds, from homelessness, from illness and disease, from financial to family and all other things—all of us today can truly count our blessings. And I will close with this thought today. Simply remembering sacrifice isn’t enough. Remembering should always lead to action—just as Christ tells us to do this in remembrance of me—we too are to remember the sacrifices of our beloved nations heroes. So many things we can do like support charities, pay for meals, thank them for their service, pray for them—these just being a few suggestions.
As we, Gods Children, are to Remember the fallen, the lost, the forgotten and the thousands who never made it back home, we ultimately need to thank Jesus Christ our Risen Lord for His sacrifice that is beyond our measure to repay. It is God’s grace that is free to all of us that is beyond measure, to all who call upon the name of the Lord.
Attitude of Prayer:
Heavenly Father, On this upcoming Memorial Day, we pray for those who courageously laid down their lives for the cause of freedom. May the example of their sacrifice inspire in us the selfless love of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Bless the families of our fallen troops, and fill their homes and their lives with your strength and peace. Embolden us to answer the call to work for peace and justice, and thus, seek an end to violence and conflict around the globe. We pray through Christ our Lord, Amen.