Pastor Tom Colburn

I don’t know of another passage in Scripture more appropriate to read for a Memorial Day sermon than this one. While no soldier, however brave, rises to the level of Jesus Christ, while no sacrifice is as efficacious, we are called to follow the example of Christ in principle, and our soldiers have often accomplished this as they sacrificed to serve our country.

Tomorrow I’ll deliver a much abbreviated version of this message to people at two area cemeteries. It’s an honor and a privilege to speak at the Memorial Day events. I am a thankful American. I hope you are as well. We are truly blessed to be citizens of this great country.

I'm a pastor now, but the former politician in me often rises to the
surface whenever I deliver a message such as this. My patriotism stands
tall and proud even as my faith in God leads the way. So if I'm a little
tough in my analysis, I beg your indulgence.

We love our children and we would die to protect them. And while we
recognize that our kids are not perfect, our lives are not defined by our
unrelenting pursuit to denigrate our children and point out their flaws.

We instead point out their many good points and encourage them to see these good things in themselves and help them to build upon their God-given gifts and positive attributes. And that's how it should be. That's how decent people handle that which they most cherish.

You and I standing here today love this country. And while we recognize it
is no more perfect than the people it is made up of, it is ours. It is an
essentially good country and we seek to support and uplift it, pointing out
to the world all its positive attributes. We don't seek to run ourselves
down.
Tomorrow we honor the millions of men and women who have died protecting this great country of ours. They have made the ultimate sacrifice for their loved ones and ours. They loved this country and the people in it, and they not only would die to protect it, they have died to keep us free. Thank God for these brave and patriotic people.

This country is great because its foundation is great. Its foundation is
great because it was laid by people who (although imperfect), were largely
God-fearing. And because they feared God (and by fear I mean respect), I
believe they were inspired by God to craft a document that remains
unrivaled in the world today as the greatest, secular document ever created
- The United States Constitution.

Consider the words in the preamble, written as they were 222 years ago.We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

As a Christian Pastor I obviously place the Bible far above the
Constitution, but as a secular document, the Constitution of the United
States is pure genius. It has stood the test of time like no other in a way
that should bring awe to all who look upon it. Our brave soldiers fought
and died to protect the freedom enjoyed under its direction.

There are some who have said this document is seriously flawed and that the
founders had a significant blind spot when crafting it. They make this
astounding statement on the basis that life in the United States isn't
perfect; and because there have been times of injustice in this country.

Well as a Christian Pastor I would offer these folks a wake up call. It
matters not who the President is, the Congress is, or what document we
operate under, there will be no place on the face of this planet that will
be perfect and free from all injustice until that great and promised day
when Jesus Christ returns to earth and sets up his millennium kingdom.

Man, without God will not create utopia on this earth. We need to accept that reality.

Let’s turn to and read Revelation 20, verses 1,2,4 and 6. Rev 20:1,2,4,6 [READ].

What a wonderful promise that is. And it gets better because at the end of those thousand years, Satan is released and allowed to make his last hurrah. And the very last it shall be, for Scripture says that fire will come down from Heaven and devour them.

The Revelation continues, “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God made ready as a bride adorned for her husband…and God Himself will be among them” (Rev 21:2.3b).

But before we get there, we live here. And in this age, there is but one place where I’d like to live. That place is right where I was blessed to be born into, the United States of America.

We have a great country, with a great tradition, and a brave and wonderful
military that serves to keep us safe. How lucky we are to have been born in
this special nation. How lucky we are that many before us have kept this
country alive, great and free. It is our job to pass this good fortune on
to our children and grandchildren.

Have we had injustices? Certainly. No human government has ever been without them. Blacks used to be slaves in this country. At one time women didn't have the freedom to vote. Both these injustices and many others were corrected via provisions crafted in our Constitution.

We didn't have to abandon our founding documents and draft another to improve our country. The Constitution provides for an amendment procedure to correct inequities when discovered. And that's just what we’ve done. We have much to be proud of.

It seems to be in vogue these days to bash this country. Sadly, many of the
people who put down this country are themselves Americans. What a shame
that so many people, including some teachers and leaders, are so focused on the relatively few mistakes and flaws in our past (and however big they were, most of have been vastly improved), that they can't see the overwhelming abundance of goodness of this country and its history.

We serve a forgiving God, a God who calls us to forgive as we have been forgiven. We can acknowledge our mistakes without condemning our country. Every country makes mistakes because every country is made up of imperfect human beings. Let us not be that person who only focuses on the imperfections. Let us be grateful Americans who appreciate and celebrate the goodness and blessings we have.

Let us show thanks to our God for what we have been given. We need to be a grateful country, a thankful country, a loving country.

Two passages come to mind regarding this issue. One is for those other
countries who look down their nose at America in spite of the many selfless
things we have done for them and many others. To those countries that would bite the hand that has so often fed them, I offer this Scripture:

Matthew 7:5. "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and
then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." - I
told you I could be blunt when defending our country.

There is no country in the history of the world than can rightfully cast the first stone at the United States. No other country had been so generous. No other as truly tolerant and free. No other, at least in our lifetimes, which has come to the aid of so many. While we have our indulgences and imperfections, the good has outweighed the bad.

To the extent we have indeed sinned and caused injustice (and every country
has), to the extent that we have as a people sinned against God (and every
country has), the solution is with the individuals within each country
because it is they who make up the whole. The answer is articulated in 2
Chronicles 7:14 [READ].

I don't know about you, but I'm proud of this country. I'm proud of the
many mighty good things we've done around this world. I'm proud that even
after Imperial Japan ruthlessly bombed Pearl Harbor (and then we returned
the favor in a dramatic way), that we went in and rebuilt that country and
helped make them into the productive, successful and relatively peaceful
nation they are today.

That's who we are as a people. That's who we've always been. I'm proud of
that heritage. I make no apologies for the essence of who we are as
Americans, and I certainly don’t want to change the foundation upon which greatness was built.

And quite frankly I'm a little disgusted at certain of our leaders who run
around the globe apologizing for all the world's problems and making us out
to be the biggest monster in human history. That's the one part of America
today I'm not proud of. We're a great nation and I'm thankful for it.

With respect to our country, let us not create a scenario where the people we honor today will have died in vain because we ignore the realities in the world around us today. It's a dangerous place on this planet. Our enemies are unlike any we've had before. It's almost like fighting ghosts.

With respect to our personal lives, let us not live a life that renders Christ’s sacrifice in vain. We are not perfect. God knows that. Jesus understood that when he went to the Cross. They forgive us. We need to accept their forgiveness then live in appreciation of our blessings.

If we don't believe this country is worth protecting and saving, we'll lose it. If we don’t understand that God believes we’re worth protecting and saving, we risk squandering our personal salvation and likely failing to work hard to bring God’s light to others. In order to believe in the future, we must appreciate the past - the mistakes and imperfections notwithstanding. I say appreciate the past, not harp on it, be fixated on it, or fret over it.

At a medivac helipad in 1970 in Vietnam, a young American medic named Brian Rooney leaned over a wounded GI. The man's body was terribly mutilated, and Rooney knew he wasn't going to make it.

Suddenly, the soldier's eyes popped open. He grabbed Rooney's shirt, pulled him close and whispered, "Remember me."

Rooney had no idea the effect his fallen comrade's statement would have. `Memorial man' as he has been dubbed, is on personal quest. Brian Rooney has dedicated his life to honoring veterans of war and teaching people the importance of patriotism. So far he has documented 8,000 war memorials nationwide (VFW Magazine 01-MAY-01. Author: Shannon Watson). 
When you say your evening prayers tonight, remember to take a moment to thank God for those people. Grant a few moments of your prayer time in silent contemplation of their life and service and how it has allowed you blessings.

What Brian Rooney has done is commendable. From the Revolutionary War to the present, he remembers those who gave their lives defending freedom for the rest of us. "My mission is to bring humanity to every one of them," Rooney said.

Our enemies in the world today (and by “our” I mean both Americans and Christians), hate us not because of what we've done to them but
because of who we are. We're not fighting a nation with a beef against us
because we sank their ship or stole their queen. We're fighting an insane,
religious philosophy that believes everyone must die who does not agree
with or at least enslave themselves to them and their notion of right and
wrong.

These people play for keeps, my friends. They’re as serious as Satan. They're playing forever. Their fight is eternal. They will not stop until every human being on the planet is either converted, enslaved or dead. They're under an oath to their god to accomplish just that.
Until we understand that, until our leaders on both sides of the political
aisle truly understand that, we are in a very vulnerable position. My
prayer is that our leaders' eyes be opened to this reality. But first, our
eyes have to be open.

Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

It is spiritual wickedness that drives earthly evil. And it is evil that we fight. Evil and ignorance.

By every measure the United States is the most successful country on the
planet and has been since its inception. We're the richest, the most free,
the healthiest and the place of greatest opportunity which is why it's the
most sought after place for immigrants, legal and illegal.

Tomorrow we honor the brave men and women who died protecting this country and our freedom. Let us also resolve to honor the greatness of the foundation of this country and not join in the chorus of those who run us down.

May God bless each one of you here today. May God bless the brave men and women in uniform. May God bless the United States of America.

I want to conclude today’s message by reading a soldier’s letter to his young wife. It’s from a soldier who died long before any of us were born. But he was a patriot and an American and his words are instructive. While we don’t understand the hereafter to be quite the same as he does, that distinction does not effect the essence of his words.

There is no better illustration of commitment to principle and honor than is seen in a letter written by Major Sullivan Ballou of the Union Army. It typifies Jesus’ love for us. Major Ballou penned this letter to his wife, Sarah, a week before the battle of Bull Run, on July 14, 1861. They had been married only six years.

My Very Dear Sarah:

The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days - perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write again, I feel impelled to write a few lines that may fall under your eye when I shall be no more....

I have no misgivings about or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how strongly American civilization now leans on the triumph of the Government, and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and suffering of the Revolution. And I am willing, perfectly willing, to lay down all my joys in this life to help maintain this Government and to pay that debt....

Sarah, my love for you is deathless: it seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break, and yet my love for country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me irresistible yon, with all these chains to the battle-field.

The memories of all the blissful moments I have spent with you come creeping over me, and I feel most deeply grateful to God, and you, that I have enjoyed them so long. And how hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when, God willing, we might still have lived and loved together and seen our sons grown up to honorable manhood around us.

If I do not [return], my dear Sarah, never forget ho w much I love you, and when my last breath escapes me on the battle-field, it will whisper your name. Forgive my many faults and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless, how foolish I have often-times been....

O Sarah, if the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you in the gladdest day and in the darkest night, amidst your happiest scenes and gloomiest hours - always, always: and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath, or the cool air cools your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by.

Sarah, do not mourn me dead: think I am gone, and wait for me, for we shall meet again.... Sullivan

Major Ballou was killed one week later at the first battle of Bull Run.These are real people who died in these wars. They died honorably and for a worthy cause. While every skirmish our country engages in might not be the wisest choice, the underlying motivation is to preserve the freedom this country is founded upon.

Please don’t denigrate this country’s heritage, even while we acknowledge our imperfection. It is a gift from God. Don’t let the people who died, have died in vain.

And more importantly, let us not take for granted the selfless love and sacrifice of God and Jesus Christ. Without God we would have no existence. Without Jesus we would have no hope.

So again I say, May God bless each one of you here today. May God bless the brave men and women in uniform. And may God bless the United States of America. Thank you, take care and God bless.