Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others,
as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
(1 Peter 4:10 NIV)
Eleven-Eleven. Veteran’s Day, timed to remember the World War 1 armistice, but designed to help us remember the military veterans among us. We have family and friends that have been or are in the military, sacrificing time and sometimes their health or lives to serve to protect this nation.
From a GiveHim15 post:
“A former Congressman once said:
“‘On this Veterans Day, let us remember the service of our veterans, and let us renew our national promise to fulfill our sacred obligations to our veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much so that we can live free.’” – Dan Lipinski
“We have an opportunity each November, to renew our national promise. We can pause to take a deeper dive into understanding the unique challenges our veterans face and learn how to support them and their families all year long. It’s a reminder to reprioritize how we care for veterans, so our promise to them can flow into the fabric of our everyday lives...
“First, to our veterans: You took a sacred oath to defend this great nation – today, we honor that single act of courage that shaped your life forever. Thank you, dear sir or ma’am, you answered a call that few have chosen, and you were willing to lay your life down for your fellow Americans. Whether you’ve come out on the other side of your service “whole,” “wounded,” or “somewhere in between,” we know you’ve paid a price – and that does not go unnoticed.” **
The angst of this election season and the reality of the sacrifices veterans make are worthy of prayer. This song my children’s choir is doing shines a spotlight of hope into our prayer today:
I hear America singing of its greatness.
I hear America singing strong.
I hear America singing of its beauty.
I hear America singing today.
Oh, walk together, children.
Don’t you get weary.
Talk together, children.
Don’t you get weary.
There’s a great camp meeting in the Promised Land.
Sing together, children.
Don’t you get weary.
Shout together children.
Don’t you get weary.
There’s a great camp meeting in the Promised Land.
We’re going to sing of truth and love.
Walk together hand in hand together in peace.
We’re going to sing and never tire.
There’s a great camp meeting in the Promised Land.
And America’s singing!
André Thomas and African-American Spiritual*
God of Hope,
Thank you, Jesus, for being the perfect example of serving, and for the many ways in which you call people to serve each other. Thank you for the veterans among us who have sacrificed to help protect the freedoms of our nation. Today we come to intercede for these veterans and for our nation. Help this nation honor them, care for them, and remember the reality that all things that are good must be protected. Help us to not get weary of praying, but to trust that our good and gracious God hears all our prayers. Help us as a nation to walk together, sing together, and shout together, hand in hand in peace, truth, and love. May your greatness, strength, beauty, peace, and hope be known and felt in this nation. And may we care for our veterans with abundance and grace, as they have sacrificed for us. We ask this in Jesus’s name, AMEN.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1 NIV)
* by André J. Thomas (c) 2001 Heritage Music Press
** https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-11-2022