Today is the 73rd anniversary of D-Day. A week or so ago a few of the Schroeders re-watched The Longest Day and one of my favorite scenes is in the video selection above from the movie at around the 3:50 mark. One of the English paratroopers is an Anglican priest, wearing his collar and he landed in the water. And he is dunking into the water and then coming up. A fellow soldier comes up to him and asks him what he is doing. He was trying to find his communion set! The fellow soldier seems to think he’s daft but helps him. I don’t know if this happened or not. Yet, it teaches and reminds me of a couple of things:
The importance of military chaplains serving in war and peace. In Arlington National Cemetery, there is a section just for chaplains, many of whom died in war. I assume they went in with the troops on Normandy.
But the scene above seems nuts to us as well: in the middle of an invasion, the ‘padre’ trying to find his communion set. Not to me, as a Pastor. He was called by the Lord to preach, teach and administer the Sacraments. A communion set is to help a Pastor to give the Lord’s Body and Blood to those who a sick and tired, sick and dying, and afraid in the middle of a war. ‘Spirituality’ is not a disembodied entity. True Christian spirituality is,”This is My Body given for you” and “This is My blood shed for you”and so serving our neighbor in body and soul and the “and” is a connective.
Keep in your prayers military Chaplains on this D-Day and as you are reminded of those in service to the Lord in our nation at other times.
Pastor, Interesting clip…never saw that movie. Good thoughts on Chaplains. Our late pastor was an Army Reserves Col. For many years. We are near Ft. Dix. He was late to a meeting once and told me he was called to the base to help grieving parents with the loss of their son who committed suicide there. He was up most of the night with them. There are many things that Chaplains do during wars and peacetime. One of our members now has a Chaplain son serving. We keep them in out prayers.
The 50 Days of Easter, Sunday: the Divine Service, 9:15am, followed by Coffee, Refreshments and gemütlichkeit; then at 10:45, Bible Class, studying St. Mark's Gospel.
See the page above, Read before You Hear, for the Lessons for this coming Sunday.
Concordia Lutheran Church worships at Ben Salem Presbyterian Church (34 Ben Salem Lane, Buena Vista, VA), Sundays, The Divine Service. 9:15am, Bible Class in recess and resumes August 20/For more info call: 540-784-5622 and leave a message
The following link is to a blog posting I dedicated to the Navy chaplain who officiated at my father’s funeral. Posted at Arlington National Cemetery at the time, he would do as many as six funerals a day, in any kind of weather.
http://luthersdeerleg.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-chaplain-i-finally-got-to-thank-and.html
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Pastor, Interesting clip…never saw that movie. Good thoughts on Chaplains. Our late pastor was an Army Reserves Col. For many years. We are near Ft. Dix. He was late to a meeting once and told me he was called to the base to help grieving parents with the loss of their son who committed suicide there. He was up most of the night with them. There are many things that Chaplains do during wars and peacetime. One of our members now has a Chaplain son serving. We keep them in out prayers.
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