In the generational cycle
and course of human events, when groups and nations have behaved in ways far
less than you, our Creator, intended; and war has become the tool through which
protection and/or resolution is sought, it is a burden borne directly on the
shoulders of young men and women. Throughout the history of our nation, human
beings have served on the front lines, from the war for independence out of
which our nation was formed, to the conflicts in the Middle East today, and
numerous wars and conflicts in-between. First, young men; and for a number of
years now, both young men and young women have been drafted or have volunteered
to place themselves in the line of fire on our behalf, as directed by the
leaders of our nation and our military.
This weekend, O God, marks
our nation's annual remembrance and thanksgiving for all who have given their
lives in military service to our country. So now we pause, remembering both
those soldiers who were near and dear to us, and those whose family ties and
neighborly bonds are elsewhere.
(Silence)
We also remember the
families they left and leave behind: wives, husbands, brothers, sisters, parents,
children, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, cousins.
(Silence)
We pray, O God, that you
would teach us how best to honor the sacred gift of their lives; how to live
and govern ourselves in ways that will lessen the duration and intensity of
existing wars and conflicts; how to tread softly on your planet; and, as beings
given life by you and created in your image, how to become fountains of dignity
and respect through which your promised peace, which knows no borders, may one
day overflow, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
© 2012 Todd Jenkins
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