VETERAN'S VALUES

Sermon Summary, 11/12/17, “Veteran’s Values” (Exodus 17:8-13; Joshua 24:15; Phil 4:8-9)

Have you ever thought of the Veterans in the Bible? With all the campaigns in the OT, there were many: Abraham (against the five kings, confidence in God and the tithe); Moses (defeating the Amalekites, dependence on God), Joshua (the conquest of Canaan, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”), and of course David (courage, loyalty, faithfulness). 

Ever wonder how these great veterans got their values? Books have been written on character development.  We want to know. A story about another Joshua.  This one a Civil War veteran, Josh Chamberlain.  He got his name at Gettysburg, but he served in 20 major battles, was wounded six times, has his horse shot our from under him six times, received the Medal of Honor, and was selected to receive the surrendering Confederate Army at Appomattox.  He was so popular when he was shot of his horse near the end of the war, when he remounted he was cheered by both sides.  He wrote in his diary, “What world am I in?”

Born in Maine in 1828, his father wanted him to choose a military career, his mom the ministry.  He actually attended seminary but chose college teaching instead of the ministry as an avenue of service.  As an undergraduate, he attended lectures by a professor’s wife who was writing and lecturing on a series that became Uncle Tom’s Cabin.  Of course she was Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Josh Chamberlain was nurtured in service and faith.  Such faith that when he believed he was mortally wounded he wrote his wife, “Christ is my all-sufficient Savior.  I go to him.  Do not grieve too much for me.  We shall meet soon.”  Faith.

The Biblical Joshua too was nurtured in service and faith.  “As for me and my family, we shall serve the Lord.” 

What about us?  We have two obligations to nurture values, for ourselves and for the next generation.  The Bible commands us to pass its values on the next generation (“teach them diligently to your children.” (Deut 6:7)). We do so through the culture we create.  Culture is the means by which we pass our values on to the next generation.  Values.  Paul tells us to think of the noble things in life. (Phil 4:8-9) 

We end with another veteran, another Abraham.  Lincoln.  He closes his Second Inaugural Address with “With malice toward none, with charity towards all.”  Need we say more?  What if that was the culture we were leaving our children?  Veteran’s values, for us and for our children.  Amen.