ANZAC day - Australian's remembered their fallen and those who survived yesterday.
My grandfather was in the Royal Australian Air Force. He also served time at Maralinga, dying from cancer when I was quite young. I consider it a special privilege that my grandmother gave me his service medals. There are a total of seven medals
I sometimes sit and take out the medals, holding them, reading the inscriptions, listening to the jingle and clank together - and I wonder what it would have been like to go to war. To fight for the freedom of people you don't know, won't see and will never hear from. I wonder if our forebears ever thought that they fought, and many gave their lives, to provide a way of life that is not appreciated nor respected.
The world has changed a lot since. And whilst numbers viewing the ANZAC day march in Sydney and other capital cities are at record levels, I'm not sure it is for the reasons our RSL leaders suggest.
[veteran] Ron Myers said today's march was a chance to catch up with old mates. Mr Myers, 56, served in the 7th Battalion RAR in Vietnam, following in the footsteps of his father who saw service in WWII.
"(Anzac Day) means that I get to see my mates I served with," he said. "We all meet earlier and all pay tribute to our mates who didn't return."
The extended Myers family joined the throng to support Ron. Son Cameron, 25, said he wouldn't miss the opportunity to see his father march in the parade.
"All the hardship he went through over there makes me very proud," he said. "It's patriotic for the country to support the old diggers." [NineMSN]
I think it's another event. An opportunity to spend some "quality time" with the kids. I'm not at all confident that 21st century Australia has the stomach nor the heart to remember. For the bulk of us I fear that "mock patriotism" has set in. I noticed this when I went to return a video to our local store. There were hundreds of cars lining the streets. Just near the video store is a pub. Australian's were doing what many of us do best - drinking it up.
ANZAC day seems to be just another footy match, or cricket game. Just another Olympic torch coming past. Something to look at. Something to belong to. A fleeting grab at a chance for community in a country that doesn't care, and won't take the time to connect with it's past.
I wrote this simple devotion a few years ago. It was delivered to about fifty children aged from 7 to 14. As you will read, it was delivered on the eve of ANZAC day, and now I am sharing it with you - the day after ANZAC day.
| TITLE: |
ANZAC Day |
| AIM:
| We remember and we are thankful
|
| TEXT:
| Genesis 14:14
|
| OBJECT:
| Army ration pack |
Do you know what this is? It's an Army ration pack. Enough food to keep a soldier fed for a whole day. Look there's biscuits, cheese, meat, jam, vegemite, chewing gum, noodles, and so much more. When our army is in training, or in battle, this is the food that they eat and survive on.
Tomorrow is ANZAC day. It is one day in our nations calendar when men and women, boys and girls, old people and young people, rich people and poor people, new immigrants and first fleeters pause together to remember.
We remember the sacrifice of our countrymen who went to fight wars in days gone by.
We pause to remember and silently thank them for making our life livable.
We pause to remember and silently pray to God to keep us safe.
We pause to remember and silently shed a tear for the families these brave men and women left behind.
We pause to remember and thank God we weren't called on to make this sacrifice.
Fighting is not a fun thing to do.
Fighting someone you don't even know is even harder.
Fighting someone you don't know for a reason that doesn't really matter to you is harder still.
That's what it was like for our men.
They were fighting a war for a King and later Queen most had never seen. They were fighting a battle that belonged to someone else. They were doing their duty. They were doing what was right.
You might remember our devotion last week - where we spoke about generosity and look at Genesis 13, where Abram invited Lot to choose which land he would like and Abram was content to take the rest.
Well this week our devotion comes from Genesis 14 - the very next chapter. In here you'll read about a battle or a war that went on between the kings of the Gentile nations. In the course of this war, Lot and his family and all his belongings, along with his countrymen were seized by the four victorious kings.
When Abram heard of what had happened to Lot he called out his 318 trained men and went out in pursuit. He ambushed the enemy at night and recovered Lot and his possessions, and freed all the other people and their possessions too.
Here, in a similar situation, Abram became involved a war that he didn't need to become involved in, fighting for something that wasn't his. But it was the right thing to do.
Whatever you thoughts about war.
Whatever your feelings about the army, or the navy, or the air force.
Whatever you personally think of these things, tomorrow you will be called on to march with pride in our local ANZAC day march.
You will be joining spirits with men and women, boys and girls all over our country and indeed right around the world as we remember the men and women who gave up their own life, so that you could live as you do today.
Lest we forget.
3:36:49 PM 
|
