Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ – Psalm 91:1-2

On Sunday, November 16, we will recognize our veterans in our services and with a luncheon. It is always a joy to do so, even though it simply consists of having them stand and be recognized and serving them a nice meal. It allows us to publicly and collectively say “thank you” to them.

Many of you know that my father was a veteran of four years’ service in the European Theater of Operations during the Second World War. The last year of his service was spent almost continuously on the front lines in France and Germany. I have immense respect for what my father did on behalf of our country. My grandfather immigrated to the United States from Croatia and raised my father and his siblings with the belief that America was a land of opportunity. And it proved to be just that for every one of them, my father included. Not without great sacrifice and hard work, mind you, but the opportunity was there, and they seized upon it. When the United States declared war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor (and subsequently declared war on Germany), my father, his brothers, and literally hundreds of other Croatian young men from central Illinois signed up to defend this nation. They did so honorably and at great sacrifice (along with countless thousands more from virtually every race and ethnicity). Many of them served together in the same military units. My father watched more than one Croatian friend die in battle. They were Croatians, but they had grown to love America.

Our nation has many flaws, and those flaws are bearing ugly fruit before our eyes, but those who have served her, or are currently doing so with honor and integrity, should be recognized within and without the body of Christ. We worship in relative freedom and safety today due in large part to their commitment and sacrifice. That should not be forgotten.

The passage above recognizes that we do not put our ultimate trust in armies, but in the Lord. To rest in him is to rest in safety, for he is our fortress. Psalm 46 reminds us of a similar theme: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” This truth notwithstanding, countries in this fallen world have borders, and those borders must be protected. At times, our armies must march beyond our borders to secure peace in a violent world. None of this is pleasant, nor to be celebrated, but the men and women who have helped to secure that peace must be. We do so at LifePoint without apology. We are thankful for those in our church family who serve, or have served, in defense of our freedoms.

And so, a hearty “Thank You” to all you servicemen and women and veterans who make LifePoint your place of worship. We appreciate you!

Grace and peace,

Pastor Jym

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