It has been one hundred years since the end of World War I, known as the War to End all Wars.  Since then, however, America has had to send troops into at least five wars and conflicts, and we have troops stationed overseas now.

This past Sunday we honored our veterans as they conducted the Posting of the Colors ceremony.  Those veterans who were present were Cindy and James Hammonds, Bob Hammonds, Robert Phillips, Don and Jerry McCarn, and Matt Hamilton.    

Shelley Brown presented an informative talk on America’s White Table honoring those in our military services Missing in Action or Killed in Action.  

Rev. Brown’s sermon was on the topic of unity and was from 1 Corinthians 1:10. Americans constantly disagree with one another about a long list of things, sometimes in a courteous, constructive way, and sometimes in a wide range of destructive ways.  That is until we are attacked or suffer some other form of disaster.  Then we immediately unite as patriotic Americans.

To keep America strong, the most important thing is that we unite under God.   Before we can do that, we must unite our communities.  To unite our communities, our families must unite.  To unite our families, we must keep our marriages united.  The best way to keep our marriages united is for both the husband and the wife to unite with God through Jesus Christ.

Sunday evening, James Hammonds spoke about the symbolic importance of the American flag as well as the relationship he has discerned between military and Christian symbols and training.

Surprisingly, the practice of conducting battle drills was one of them.  These drills are designed to save lives by instilling an immediate and automatic series of actions when the order is given or a particular threat is discerned.  Remember the Bible drills and the scripture memorization we participated in when we were children? How many times have you profited from having those skills and those words in your mind and heart?  Even if you couldn’t remember the exact words to a Bible verse, you knew it well enough to receive guidance from it.  

The next thing James spoke about was the meaning of each of the specified folds in the American flag.  

The first fold represents life;

The second, belief in eternal life;

Third, veterans departing the ranks to return to civilian life;

Fourth, trusting God for divine guidance;

Fifth, tribute to America, our country;

Sixth, hearts truly pledging allegiance to America;

Seventh; America’s Armed Forces;

Eighth, mothers who risked their own lives in childbirth—also, anyone who gave their lives on our behalf;

Ninth, women whose faith, love, and devotion molded the character of men and women who have made this country great;

Tenth, fathers, for their guidance and for sending forth sons and daughters to serve our country;

Eleventh, the victories of Kings David and Soloman, and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob;

Twelfth, The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost;

And thirteenth, the 13 Colonies as well as the stars on the field of blue reminding us of our national motto “In God We Trust.”  

His comments on courage included a quote from Billy Graham: “….When a man of courage takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened as well.”   He ended with an account of the unusual victory of several lepers in 2 Kings 7.  They were caught between a besieged, starving city which had no way of feeding them, and the besieging army of Syrians.  The decision they made took courage, and it made all the difference for them as well as their countrymen.  If you don’t recall that story, you will want to take a few minutes to read it for yourself.