Veterans Day
Veterans Day has its roots in what was called Armistice Day, the day when a peace
agreement was signed with Germany ending World War I. Armistice Day was
established with a proclamation by President Woodrow Wilson which reads in part:
“Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in heroism of those who died in the
country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from
which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her
sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.” On June 1, 1954,
Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day to honor all U.S. veterans.
On Veterans Day this year, let us remember and honor those men and women who gave
of themselves, and let us continue to pray for our men and women currently serving in the military.
Thoughts for Veterans Day
Abraham Lincoln gave his second Inaugural Address on March 4, 1865, as the Civil War was raging. He said,
“Fondly do we hope — fervently do we pray — that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.”
Lincoln’s next paragraph is especially appropriate for Veterans Day:
“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us
strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the
battle, and for his widow and his orphan — to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace,
among ourselves, and with all nations.”
When President Lincoln finished his classic oration, he reportedly kissed the Bible and left the platform. He was
assassinated the next month.
Martin Luther — A Mightier Roar
In the days of the Cold War, I was able to go to East Germany, (yes, behind the wall) and visit every site where
the great reformer, Martin Luther, had been sent by God. My study of Luther compelled me to conclude that he
had flared forth like a streak of mighty lightning, and that the roaring thunder from his presence and works still
reverberate strongly today.
Intelligence, talent and charisma dwelled in Luther. He was a powerful and brilliant preacher, an author, a gifted
theologian and a translator of the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into German. He was a man of fun when he
gathered with his friends, kidded his wife Kate or played with children on his lap.
He was also a prodigious hymn writer. He composed more than 40 hymns, including “A Mighty Fortress Is Our
God,” which causes Christians to resonate with affirmation and hope.
A further comment about my Luther excursion: At 2:00 a.m., as I slept in a hotel in Erfurt, I was awakened by
the unnerving sound of Soviet tanks roaring on the street below. The tanks roar no more in eastern Germany,
but Christians around the world still rejoice in the wit, wisdom and witness of Martin Luther, and in his many
hymns that renew and sustain us. —Dr. Charles E. Ferrell
Is Your Light Growing Dim?
Albert Schweitzer, the gifted physician, scientist, musician and missionary, said that at times
our own light seems to go out. Sometimes we feel rather dim or washed out. Know the
experience?
Schweitzer suggested that our light can be rekindled by another person whose light is still
strong and whose presence can increase the power of our own light.
Our light can be increased as we live in relationship with the “light of the world.”
In John 8:12, Jesus says: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in
darkness” (NRSV). In Jesus’ light, we find that the light in our own life is increased.
St. Paul told how Christ’s light should affect us: “In the Lord you are light. Live as children of light …”
(Ephesians 5:8, NRSV).