Remember

When I was growing up I thought that war was something that happened a long time ago. In school we would read about it in our history textbooks, or have veterans from WW II come and speak to our class about what it was like to be in a war. My dad was a small boy when the Germans occupied Denmark then, and he even had stories to tell. I never grew up in a war. I did however grow up with the threat of war hanging over us; 20 years ago was the height of the Cold War, with the potential to blow ourselves up 10 times over with nuclear weapons. Then the Berlin wall came down, the Soviet Union collapsed, and it seemed like war was becoming an even more remote and distant memory.

My how times have changed. Maybe things never did change. Maybe the world is still as hostile as it ever was. One thing is for sure, and that is war has once again touched our nation's psyche. Our involvement in Afghanistan has shaped our country's image of itself - that we are no longer known as peacekeepers (much to the dismay of many). But ask any soldier and they will tell you that they are not just peacekeepers. They are first and foremost soldiers, and there is very little peace to keep these days.

This sad reality came home to me last Sunday. A young man from our church came home from a tour of duty in Afghanistan, and shared with the congregation some of his experiences as a part of our Remembrance Day service. I could tell it wasn't easy for him to tell his story; one time he and his fellow soldiers were ambushed in an alley by insurgents. A medic from Calgary was killed, his Sargent was wounded and bullets were whizzing by his head by an inch - literally. They were eventually extracted from the alley by reinforcements, but before then he was convinced that he was going to die. It was a very sobering tale for me, and no doubt for everyone else there. The fact that a good friend of mine and my oldest brother are both army reservists, who want to serve in Afghanistan, brings it home all the closer to me.

I believe that the Bible teaches personal passifisim - that if someone wrongs us we should not retaliate (Mathew 5:38-42). But God has also established the authority of governments and nations, with police and military forces to carry out justice and maintain social order (Romans 13:1-7). And while God allows wars to happen (which is in itself a huge topic that I won't go into here) there will come a time when all war shall cease and Christ will reign over the earth, bringing peace to the nations (Isaiah 2:1-4). Until then, we live in a brutal world where brutal things must happen for the greater good. There are things worth fighting for and even dying for, and that's why we honor our men and women in uniform. Today we remember those who fought and died for a greater good. And while we remember we pray for the day where "they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks."