Proper 9B 2009/Independence Day Mark
6:1-13
In our gospel for today, Jesus sends his disciples out into the
unknown. He sends them out in pairs, two at a time, totally unprepared for the
journey except for what they had on their backs and on their feet: a staff but
no bread, no bag, no money, no spare clothing. I wonder how many of us could
manage a trip under those conditions. How quickly my vehicle fills up with laptop
computer, changes of clothes, books to read, toilet articles, peanut butter crackers, and bottles of water. Not to mention Belle, my black Labrador Retriever who goes with me whenever I can take her, along with
her food and bowls and leash and harness.
The disciples were prepared for a hostile reception: “If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust
that is on your feet as a testimony against them,” Jesus told them as they left.
They worked hard on this mission. The gospel record does not tell us how
many times they were not made welcome, if at all. But empowered by the Lord,
they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. Their
mission was, by the gospel account, successful.
This is the Fourth of July weekend, the celebration of our independence,
won at severe cost in blood, treasure, and destruction beginning 233 years ago. In
some places and among honorable people it is not a popular holiday, although I daresay they take advantage of the time off
and the many sales at the mall. I think this ambiguity over Independence
Day is a lingering hangover from the Vietnam War and a dislike of war in any form. Fair enough; few really like war as a
general proposition. But sometimes it is necessary and so soldiers, sailors,
marines, and airmen take up the mission and set out, paying no attention to popularity of their cause, not unlike the setting
of the Revolution itself 233 years ago.
There’s a new
film out entitled “Brothers at War”. It’s about the three Rademacher
brothers, all from Decatur, Illinois: the captain, Isaac, a West Pointer; the
sergeant, Joe, top of his class at the US Army Ranger School; and the news cameraman, Jake, who embedded himself in his brothers’
and other units to try to “find his brothers’ war”. What follows
is taken from the Wall Street Journal:
Though neither pro-war nor antiwar, this film does offer something that probably explains why one reviewer
dismissed it as "achingly patriotic": It shows our soldiers and Marines as professionals.
In short, there are no victims here, just decent men doing a tough job. In
New York, Washington and Los Angeles that may not sound like exciting fare. But
in places like Oceanside, California; Savannah, Georgia; Killeen, Texas; Norfolk, Virginia; Junction City, Kansas; and other
cities that are home to our military families -- "Brothers at War" speaks to audiences filled with people who know firsthand
what it is like to have a husband or brother in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Though it does have
its patriotic moments, they are quiet and hard to draw out from men who would rather joke about their cheating girlfriends
back home. While spending five days with an Army reconnaissance unit reporting
on foreign terrorists crossing through the Syrian border, Jake asks the soldiers why they fight. A young soldier named Christopher MacKay says he's fighting for a better life for his nieces.
Jake pushes: Would
it be worth it if it ends up costing you your life? MacKay answers matter
of factly. "Yeah, I'd give my life for America any day. Wouldn't think twice."
That's not John Wayne
speaking. That's a young man who knows what he signed up for, knows why he signed
up, and knows who he's fighting for. In an America where Michael Jackson's death
gets more press coverage than a Medal of Honor winner, it's sure nice to see at least one camera filming men who really matter.
(1)
On this day and in this place, whether or not we agree with the
two wars we are in, we cannot, we must not, forget those soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen who are fighting and dying
there. At the very least we hold them in our prayers and pray for their
safe return. We can do no less, for them and for ourselves.
AMEN
1.
From the Wall Street Journal, slightly modified: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124631664790370713.html#mod=djemEditorialPage
