it was kind of sad this year to pray up at the MUB. what really hit me is that we’ve been involved as a church for almost 20 years in the Memorial Day events. each year it seems like the group of vets gets smaller and smaller. there used to be 20-30 of them in the parade, now just a handful remain. it is obvious that those who served in WW2 and Korea have been heavily invested in this remembrance. those who fought in more recent wars just aren’t there in any numbers. why?? maybe it has to do with the ”popularity” of a war, maybe it is just part of a cultural shift in which a new generation doesn’t do the traditional things their parents did.

what really has me conflicted though isn’t the sadness that a great generation is dying out. no, what conflicts me is trying to answer the question, “would i fight for my country?” once upon a time i would have said “YES” without hesitation if the conflict was just. now i see a country that more and more is distancing itself from God, and i wonder– should i fight for a land becoming more blasphemous every day. here i am preparing a message for this sunday on what it means to live as an “alien” or “sojourner” in the land. lately i’ve sure been feeling more than ever before that this world isn’t my home.

so i still honor the men and women who fought the good fight and secured freedom for this country. i still believe that the state has the right and responsibility to stop oppression. and i still cherish the freedom i have as a pastor to preach without any outside interference. but i wonder what tomorrow will bring. and i keep thinking that we as a church are starting to better understand what those first christians knew– that this their citizenship is somewhere else (phil. 3:20). 

so tell me– would you still fight for freedom?

april was such a month of contrasts. on the one side was the incredible easter season that we had. no doubt about it, easter is my favorite time of year. it draws you so close to the Lord and helps put life in eternal perspecitve.

but april was also a month a loss on a personal level. i lost a dear friend in april– herb philbrick. i know pastor’s aren’t supposed to say that they have “favorite” sheep”, but herb was one of mine. always the first one in on a sunday morning. always sitting in the same back row chair. always ready with a greeting that put a smile on your face. herb was 88 going on 65– he just never got the memo that old age had set in. just a few years ago, when i put an addition on the house, herb did all the wiring for me. yes it is true, herb never got the memo that when you’re in your 80s, crawling up ladders and running wire isn’t supposed to be what you do. i’m just glad herb never got the memo. he was a real saint and a beloved brother. herb, we’ll meet again soon.

the day before herb’s memorial service, Kath and i experienced a different kind of loss. it wasn’t the loss of a friend as much as the loss of a part of life. we had gone down to philly to watch our son dan play his last couple lacrosse games for eastern university. his four year college career was coming to an end (the final game was a 20-4 victory, so it was sweeeeeeet). but on the way up the jersey turnpike kath said, “do you realize that 20 years of watching our 4 kids play sports just came to an end today?” wow, that hit like a ton of bricks. a major part of life, hanging out in gyms and fields, just stopped. i’m gonna miss it. i guess all through life we encounter loss, and that’s why heaven seems so beautiful– because it is all gain.

it’s all about the glory of God, and last night the glory really did fall in the whittemore center. hard to know how many worshipers there were– i’d guess about 1800. but what a sweet thing it was to see a bunch of churches and campus ministries gather together with one purpose, to uphold Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  the oneness and unity of the body of Christ is often talked about, but seldom do we come together and display it like this. gotta give a major thanks to all the pastors and campus leaders who helped put this together and bathed it in prayer.

i’m sure everyone who was there would give a little different account of what the “God moments” were. so many people (the worship team, tim, rob, the pastors, the campus ministry leaders) played a huge part in making the night happen. yet there were special times when i felt like the holy spirit was almost touchable, the presence of God being so real.  a few things really grabbed my soul:

1. i’ve known pastor dave blakney for years, but his prayer during the service was the most awesome prayer i have ever heard with my own ears. it was like an angelic proclamation calling us up to the throne. it just poured out of his heart, and all of heaven said “amen”.  i pray with this guy every month, and i’ve never heard anything like that– guess we need to rent him the whit more often :).

2. later in the service, one of the intervarsity guys, andrew, shared a testimony. the power with which he spoke was so Holy Spirit empowered. folks jumped out of their seats with “alleluias” when he was done. it really was inspiring.

3. finally, there just isn’t anything like a couple thousand brothers and sisters praising together. i have no idea how the worship team handled the logistics that they did– but it was great.\

so tell me, what were your reflections????