Sermons
Our Lasting Gratitude
OUR LASTING GRATITUDE
Sermon Outline By Terry Siverd
Cortland Church of Christ / November 11, 2018
Every first day of the week is a special day for all who are members of the Body of Christ.
Our worship together includes many elements: singing, praying, hearing the preaching of The Word of God,
placing our sacrificial offerings in the collection basket - - and encouraging one another in our walk with the Lord.
The centerpiece of our worship is The Lord's Supper.
It was on the first day of the week that Jesus rose from the grave. This weekly celebration of the resurrection of
Christ points us back to the cross and in this memorial supper we reflect on the sacrifice made by Jesus on our behalf.
The message of the cross saturates the writings of the New Testament Scriptures
While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom.5:9) … He gave Himself for our sins (Gal.1:4) …
In Him we have redemption through His blood (Eph.1:7) … He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf (2Cor.5:21) …
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy (Titus 3:5) …
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1Pet.2:24) …
He Himself is the propitiation for our sins (1Jn.2:2) … (Christ) loved us and released us from our sins by His blood (Rev.1:5).
In Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior we see the vivid fulfillment of His spoken words recorded in Jn.15:13 - -
Greater love has no man than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
On this particular Sunday (Veterans Day, November 11th), we have also paused to salute our veterans.
We do not do this to applaud acts of war, but rather to acknowledge our gratitude to those who have helped safeguard
our cherished freedoms by their willingness to serve our nation in the armed forces: Army, Navy, Air Force & Marines.
While no right-thinking Christian who strives daily to possess the heart of Jesus would ever delight in war, some-
times war becomes necessary to root out the evil brought on by wicked tyrants and to preserve civility and peace.
This morning we have expressed our love for our country with songs and with a collective pledge of allegiance.
No country is perfect. Our prayer for our beloved America remains, as we have sung, that God would mend our every flaw.
As American citizens, and as Christians, we all have an obligation to try to help our country improve.
We are attempting to salute our veterans. We have A LASTING GRATITUDE for your service to our nation.
Some have served in extra-ordinary capacities - - in hard circumstances that defy comprehension.
Sister Lois Arnold's late husband, Robert Arnold, served our nation in WWII in the U.S. Army. He was among that
first wave of soldiers who came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Sister Arnold told me that
Robert seldom talked about the War, but one thing she remembers him sharing was his recollection of climbing the
cliffs in the face of the heavy artillery. He looked back to see the English Channel, which had literally turned red
with the precious blood of hundreds upon hundreds of U.S. soldiers who were had make the ultimate sacrifice.
Elwood Stone and my uncle Buddy Enfinger both fought with the U.S. Army in the battle of the bulge in WW II.
Harold Hibbs, who passed away in 2016 fought in France and Germany with the 63rd Infantry.
Mark Lombardi, who passed away recently, served in Vietnam where he was shot down in a helicopter.
Olivia Wood was recently in Afghanistan, serving as an Army Nurse in a very dangerous environment.
Not long ago Kenneth Davis was flying missions with his Marine Osprey crew over the skies over Syria and Jordan.
Bobby Villers is presently somewhere in the volatile Mideast.
If you've had family or friends (military veterans) who've made extraordinary sacrifices, please forward me a note.
Frequently, our veterans day thoughts focus on those who might been deemed “war heroes”.
I was reading this past week about Mavis Batey and Eric Lomax - - two British veterans of WWII.
At the age of 19, Mavis was recruited to join a team of women working as code-breakers at Bletchley Park - -
to help decipher The Enigma Machine. Her skills contributed significantly to the detailed planning for the D-Day
Eric's story as a British soldier who suffered greatly as prisoner of war held by the Japanese has been recorded in
a book he wrote, The Railway Man, which, in 2013, was made into a movie and stars Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman.
Two of our nations most decorated WWII Veterans are Sargent Audie Murphy and Colonel Ruby Bradley.
In 2Tim.2:3-4 the apostle Paul borrowed from the lingo of the military world to write to Timothy, saying - -
Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles
himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
In Eph.6:13f, Paul again draws a parallel between the roles of servants of Christ and the military. He exhorts - -
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist the evil day, and having done
everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore having gird your loins with truth, and having put on the
breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet the with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles
of the evil one. And take up the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
To be heralded as a man or woman of valor is quite an extra-ordinary honor, worthy of our applause.
Yet our nation has been blessed with hundreds of thousands of military veterans who should also be
thanked for their contributions, many of which were performed behind the scenes with little of no fanfare.
Not every veteran was or will be an Audey Murphy or a Ruby Bradley.
Most are rather ordinary men and women who simply aim to do their assignments with remarkable precision.
To all of these, we hear and heed Paul's words in Rom.13:7 - - giving honor to whom honor is due.
There is a glory of the ordinary that ought to be recognized and must never be minimized.
Some of our veterans served in times of war, but were not called to the front lines.
Others of our veterans have served in times of relative peace.
Burdette Stewart served as a clerk in Japan and Korea. He was trained to drive heavy trucks,
but his primary task found him securing the transference of payroll - - a sometimes dangerous assignment.
Like Shawn Wood, my dad Bodie Siverd served on big ships in the Navy - - always training in case they were needed.
My brother-in-law, Mark Glasgow, was a parachute rigger in the Marines - - obviously, a very important job.
Their service was spent in preparation, training and readiness in the event of a conflict.
Only a few veterans return home as celebrated war heroes - - and even those are quick to deny such a title.
Not many are awarded the Medal of Honor of a Service Cross or a Silver Star or a Purple Heart or a Bronze Star.
To all who have served, in whatever capacity, in whatever era, in whatever arena, we salute you for your service.
As veterans, whatever you did, you aimed to do well and your service to our country has been noteworthy.
We salute all of our veterans for their dedication - - for suffering hardships of varying degrees - -
being separated from family and loved ones, sometimes in a world far away from home.
We salute you for your love for our country - - for your loyalty and for your patriotism.
We salute you for your untold hours of rigorous training and your ongoing commitment to excellence.
Your conscientiousness was/is worthy of commendation.
Your sense of teamwork; your willingness to work for the good of the whole; your attention to detail;
your readiness to go into battle should you be needed and to lay down your life for others if such was required.
- - for all of these sterling qualities and so many more, we offer our sincerest appreciation.
On behalf of our entire Cortland Church Family, we thank you and assure you that you have our lasting gratitude.
