PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

June 1, 2022

SUPPORT AND DEFEND

                The speaker for the 11:00 A.M. 2019 Memorial Day services held at Oak Hill Cemetery  was Ed Pullen.  First Lieutenant Pullen is both a veteran of WWII and the Korean conflict.  Ed is a graduate of Purdue University and attended the University of Nebraska where he became an EROTC Cadet Major being honored as a Distinguished Military Student.

The theme for Pullen’s speech was the Constitution that service personnel take an oath to support and defend.  For Ed the Preambles to the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution help to clarify exactly what those serving in the military are called to support and defend.  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (Preamble to the Declaration of independence) “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.” (Preamble to the U.S. Constitution)

Every Memorial Day we as a nation honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice fulfilling their oath to support and defend the Constitution.  Ed suggested that one way we might honor our fallen heroes is by exercising the unalienable Rights described in the Declaration of Independence and taking responsibility for the guarantees enumerated in the U.S. Constitution.  Pullen suggested that one way we might do this is by voting.  Are there other ways that we might do it?

When Diane and I walked the Wadi Kelt which runs from Jerusalem to Jericho we had a new appreciation for the risks that the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) encountered when he helped the man who had fallen among thieves.  Around every turn of the narrow path that hung close to the valley wall danger could be lurking.  It was wise policy not to travel the Wadi alone.  By telling the parable Jesus suggests that all of us should follow the example of the Good Samaritan.  Here and in other places Jesus suggests that all of us are called to support and to defend our neighbor and the common good.

There are lots of ways that all of us can support and defend to ensure that other enjoy unalienable Rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  We can do this by being involved in the public discourse and by showing acts of kindness and caring in our personal behavior.  By being involved in service organizations, women’s groups, churches, fraternal organization, and associations we can work to promote the general Welfare.  Heaven knows that we live in a day that longs for anyone who will work to bring about domestic Tranquility.

On Memorial Day we remember those who gave their lives supporting and defending the Constitution.  While the focus is on those who served in the military, we should all remember fire fighters, law enforcement officers, first responders, and others who paid the ultimate sacrifice as they sought to support and to defend the common good.  In addition, today is a good day to take a good look at our own lives to see how we are helping to support and defend our God given unalienable Rights described in the Declaration of Independence and by our involvement in the public arena.