In Memoriam: Crosses
Posted by David Ketter on May 26, 2007
This poem was authored by a relative of mine, who is an extremely-gifted poet and has often blessed me with his writing. As Memorial Day approaches, I thought this gem would be well worth your reading and reflection:
CROSSES
Pale white crosses….row upon row;
Silent monuments to those who lay below.
Symbols of the greed and inhumanity of man.
The consequence of war since time began.
They went off to war and did their best.
Gave up their lives and now lay at rest.
Fallen warriors who left home to fight,
For their country’s honor…to make things right.
In the futility of war, they lost their lives;
Leaving parents, siblings, children and wives.
They knew not whether the battle was won,
But they were heroes…each and every one.
We owe our freedom to those who lay below,
Those pale white crosses….row upon row.
Vance Oliphant
© June, 2001
June 9, 2007 at 2:23 pm
i am sorry, i dont mean to offend, but i dont think we OWE our freedom to men and women laid to rest under little white crosses. (just so you know, i am in the military)
arent we free because one man chose to die as a sacrifice for all men? isnt it His words that remind us, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed”?
you see, earthly freedom and the freedom Messiah brought are often at odds, and at most they are not the same. political freedom has NOTHING to do with spiritual freedom. rabbi shaul even pts out that slaves are to obey their masters (indicating physical freedom and our freedom in Messiah are vastly separate).
shalom
peter
June 9, 2007 at 2:34 pm
Shalom alechem, Peter:
Understand that this is a man whose brothers went off to fight in WWII and received their due share of wounds in such (my great-grandfather included). So, on that count, he’s looking back to what they’ve done to maintain what was given to us by HaShem.
Messiah indeed brings true freedom…but Messiah also granted us the freedom that we have here. Rabbi Shaul also said that we are obligated to give honor to those who are due honor…and the military is certainly due honor as a part of the government over us. Military service and due honor of those who have served in that way is part of submitting to the governing authorities.
I am by no means one who is of the typical “America must be God’s favorite place of earth” crew…I’m not so arrogant as to think that. Frankly, I’d say our call is the same in any country, where men of the military have conducted themselves with honor and dignity. Even Saladin did so…a Saracen, he was, but a man of honor and dignity and nobility…
Shalom b’shem Yeshua HaMashiach,
David
June 10, 2007 at 4:48 pm
david
thanks for the reply. i agree with you that we are to obey and respect the governing authorities. but there is a big difference between respecting and participating in. i think augustine wrote some wise stuff in the “City of God”. he says that there are two cities. one of God and one of Man. the first is based upon love of God and the second based upon love of self. from my experiences and from what i read in Scripture and the early church, i dont feel that the military is part of the city of God. instead, i see throughout history again and again the military serving the city of Man. there rarely has been a war (i might even contend never) that has been to love God and our neighbor. they are almost always based upon selfpreservation. as such, i see this much more in line with the city of man.
i agree that we are subject to the city of man as we reside as aliens in their land. but we are also called to be separate. i think this means that we are to live with them and obey them and love them. BUT i also think this means we are not to participate in their selfishness. does this always apply to wars (i might say yes, but i know there is room for disagreement within the Body)? i think we need to be very careful saying that wars are out of “love”.
shalom (ironic what shalom means…i see our culture, american culture, as not emphasizing shalom but rather war)
peter
June 10, 2007 at 7:21 pm
Kepha (if you don’t mind the Aramaic of your name, that is.
)…
It is true that no human war is out of love. Yet, it is also true that HaShem Himself ordained war to be a (sad) reality for us as humans. I do not seek to baptize war by saying such things, but rather to acknowledge that it was the will of Messiah that men sometimes demonstrate the nobility and sacrifice of Himself as soldiers, to fight for God, to provide for us training and means to understand what Shalom truly is….for how can we worship and pray for the coming of Sar Shalom (Prince of Peace) if we do not understand what He will bring?
War is grievous, but I will continue to honor and respect those who have lost their lives in such conflicts - particularly that good may be done. My great-grandfather (this poet’s brother) fought in WWII and suffered injury but one thing that he took into that war was a desire to preserve and fight for the children of Israel, who were being ruthlessly massacred by Hitler (may his name and memory be erased) in the ovens of the Shoah. Is that not love? Unfortunately, choosing to love one person will inevitably put us in a position to be hated (not to hate) by another. By loving Israel, we are hated by Islam - and many others. Love is a choice and it is the attitude that Messiah desires us to have, but it does not bring us Shalom. Shalom will only come when Messiah reigns - and for that reign must we ever pray and look forward to.
Shalom,
David
June 11, 2007 at 1:36 pm
david
i think you neglect the teachings of Messiah in order to present your own teaching of his. you say that Yeshua says, “it was the will of Messiah that men sometimes demonstrate the nobility and sacrifice of Himself as soldiers, to fight for God, to provide for us training and means to understand what Shalom truly is”.
yet, Yeshua says, “youve heard it said, love your friend and hate your enemy, but i tell you love your enemy and do good to those who harm you.”
you say we must hate some to love others. if so, then we must disobey Messiah.
instead, i believe that we are able to love others on both sides, but it cant be through killing. for instance, what if 100s of 1000s of soldiers went to germany in WW2 to stop hitler. not by force, but by peaceful protest?
would many have been imprisoned and killed? yes. but we are told giving our lives for others is loving. but ultimately, would hitler have been stopped if many many many people peacefully protested? absolutely. look throuhout history where peaceful protest has radically changed things. and often much more effectively than killing.
while i appreciate the willingness to die for another, i dont appreciate the willingness to kill for another. and Yeshua set an example for us. instead of killing, by dying. if anyone couldve brought shalom through the sword it would have been Messiah, but he didnt. he did it through sacrifice.
petros(some scholars believe petros is actually a hebrew name and adopted into greek)