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 Check out the Bible Study each week called, “The Wired Word.”   During these years when you cannot be home for worship and Sunday School, consider this to guide your devotional life.  It will never replace making the effort to worship God in church, but it will help you focus.  We care about you even when you are not with us!                      Pastor Rusty

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Text Box: Find a place to worship God while you are away at college.

Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Marshall

 The After (High School) Life—For College and Career
Text Box: Nation Observes Veterans Day The Wired Word for November 16, 2008 In the News Tuesday was Veterans Day, an observance dating from the signing of the armistice to end World War I, which was known at the time as the "Great War," and the "War to end all wars." President George W. Bush marked the day by speaking at the Manhattan pier that is home to the World War II aircraft carrier Intrepid. He praised veterans past and present who have defended U.S. liberty. In Europe, where the day is called Armistice Day, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, Britain's Prince Charles, German Parliament Speaker Peter Muller and Australia's Governor General Quentin Bryce held a joint remembrance ceremony at France's Fort Douaumont, where more than 300,000 men died in over 300 days during the Battle of Verdun of the Great War. President-elect Barack Obama, accompanied by a wounded Iraq War veteran and director of the Department of Veterans Affairs for Illinois Tammy Duckworth, went to Soldier Field in Chicago and placed a wreath in front of the bronze Soldiers Memorial there. The armistice ending hostilities between the Allied nations and Germany took effect at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, and in America, President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11 as a day of remembrance, with the first observance taking place in 1919. After World War II, President Eisenhower renamed Armistice Day to Veterans Day, expanding the day of memory to commemorate the sacrifices of all those who have served their country. President Wilson declared, "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations ..." In related news, organizations such as the National Alliance of Families for the Return of America's Missing Servicemen and P.O.W. Network continue to honor veterans by seeking the return of service personnel who are still missing and unaccounted for. Such groups have located and identified the remains of over 400 veterans, and interred 350 with military honors. As of this Veterans Day, there are only 10 veterans of World War I worldwide still living, and only one in the United States. The U.S veteran is Frank Buckles, who is 107 and living in West Virginia. On Tuesday, Buckles went to Arlington National Cemetery, saying he considered it his duty to represent his fellow soldiers. More on this story may be found at these links: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/11/11/world.war.one.armistice/index.html http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/11/ap/preswho/main4592388.shtml http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/11/war.vets.photos/index.html http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/11/obamas_veterans_day_soldier_fi.html http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/11/11/last.WWI.veteran/ http://www.powmia.com/pow-mia-support-groups.html The Big Questions 1.      In addition to honoring the actual participants, what other values does an official day for remembrance of veterans promote? 2.      How does warfare fit with your understanding of the Christian faith? What is your church's position about your members' participation in the nation's wars? 3.      Is it important to distinguish between the merits of any particular war and the regard we have for those who serve in the military during the conflict? Why or why not? 4.      What does your church or denomination do to work toward a time when armed conflicts will cease? 5.      What ought days of remembrance cause us to do about future wars? Confronting the News with Scripture Here are some Bible verses to guide our discussion Ecclesiastes 9:15 "Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man." (For context, read 9:13-18.) We wish we knew the whole story to which this verse alludes. The Scripture simply says that a "great king" besieged a "little city," and that through wisdom, a poor wise man who lived in that city somehow became its deliverer. Whether the application of his wisdom was through warfare, negotiation, trickery of the enemy or some other means, we are not told. What is significant for our discussion of Veterans Day, however, is that after this man accomplished that deliverance, no one remembered him. Questions: Do you think no one bothered to remember this man because he was poor and not well placed to begin with? To what degree are our wars actually fought by people from lower-income brackets? In addition to official days of remembrances, how do we honor their service? Mark 13:7 "When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come." (For context, read 13:3-8.) Jesus' statement above suggests a certain inevitability about war, although in context, it refers to both the turmoil that would result in the destruction of the temple within the lifetime of the apostles and also the destruction that would precede the end of the world. But as long as nations go to war, there will be a need for soldiers, and afterward, there will be veterans. Questions: To what degree should our nation consider itself obligated to help veterans with personal needs following their service in the military? Where do you see that happening? Where do you see that falling short?   Matthew 8:9 "For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and the slave does it." (For context, read 8:5-13.) A centurion (a unit commander in the Roman army) had a desperately ill servant, and he asked Jesus to heal him. When Jesus agreed to go and see the sick man, the centurion asked Jesus to simply speak the word of healing from where they were, and the soldier made the statement above by way of explanation. Jesus did as requested, and the servant was healed. The statement of the centurion illustrates the sense of duty and obedience in a chain of command that is essential to military service. Questions: Despite how a member of the military may personally view the merits of a conflict in which he or she is sent to serve, should that member always follow whatever commands are given? Why or why not? Luke 14:31 "Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand?" (For context, read 14:25-33.) Jesus' subject in verses 25-33 is not warfare, but counting the cost of discipleship. Yet he uses a military image to make his point. The sheer numbers, 10,000 in one army and 20,000 in the other, remind us that military actions are never, ultimately, merely one nation or group against another nation or group. Rather those actions are about individuals who are sent into harm's way. Regardless of what branch of service employs them, in the end, it is individuals on one side in combat with individuals on the other. War sometimes obscures that, but observances such as Veterans Day bring it before us in terms of personal stories and individual sacrifices. Questions: Why is it important to remember the individuals who served and not just the conflict itself? How does that apply to the matter of POW/MIAs? Acts 21:35 "When Paul came to the steps, the violence of the mob was so great that he had to be carried by the soldiers." (For context, read 21:27-36.) This is but one of several incidents where soldiers, acting under orders, made it possible for Christian workers to survive, and by extension, thereby assisted in the promotion of the gospel. We note it simply to observe that just as today, members of the military are sometimes called to handle situations that have nothing to do with war, but are for the common good. Question: Where have military units contributed to the common good in recent years in noncombat settings? Questions for Further Discussion 1.      One of Great Britain's surviving WW I vets is Harry Patch, 110 years old. In his 2007 autobiography, he said that "war is organized murder." At a memorial event last month, he declared that "It was not worth it. It was not worth one, let alone all the millions." Is he right? What do you conclude from the fact that WW I, declared the "war to end all wars," did not in fact do that? 2.      The video shown at this link: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2008/11/05/vif.veterans.vet.gives.back.cnn tells the compelling story of a Vietnam vet who is doing good in the land of the former enemy. How do responses such as his forward the cause of reconciliation? Other News This Week One news story this week describes brawling among monks over Jesus' tomb -- essentially a turf war. It provides an opportunity to talk about divisiveness and how to overcome it. See http://www.thecronline.com/news_article.php?nid=4533&ndate=10/11/2008 and consider Mark 3:24; 1 Corinthians 1:10; 3:3; Psalm 133:1; Ecclesiastes 4:12; 1 Peter 3:8. Closing Prayer O God, thank you for all who have answered the call to serve the nation in the military. Help us as a nation to be as faithful in caring for their needs as veterans as they were in serving the country's need while on active duty. In Jesus' name. Amen. Copyright 2008 Communication Resources

After Thoughts for the Week

Updated 11/14/08