Sermons
'Mid Scenes Of Deepest Gloom
Series: TurbulenceLink to sermon video: 'Mid Scenes Of Deepest Gloom - T Siverd
'MID SCENES OF DEEPEST GLOOM
Sermon By Terry Siverd / November 08, 2020 / Cortland Church of Christ
Hopefully, you have not prejudged my sermon title this morning as a commentary on the election. I appreciate very much the positive feedback that many of you gave regarding last Sunday's pre-election sermon. I would like to ask us all to continue to think about what we spoke about last Sunday. Our country is going through some tumultuous times and all of us should be praying for God's guidance.
This is the Sunday before Veterans Day, which as you know takes place on the eleventh day of the eleventh month. It provides an opportune time for us to reflect on the sacrifices made by our soldiers on behalf of our country. I am currently reading Stephen Ambrose's book, D-Day - - a 600 page volume delineating the events of June 6, 1944. On the morning of D-Day, as the USS Bayfield was making its way through the waves toward Utah Beach, Brig. General Theodore Roosevelt (eldest son of President Roosevelt and the oldest man going ashore that day), “moved among the men, speaking softly and soothingly...He began singing and urged them to join in.” Lieutenant John Robert Lewis described the scene: “during the cruise across, we all assembled on the deck of the Bayfield and sang, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, and Onward Christian Soldiers. This was a very sobering time to sing the words, As God died to make me holy, let us die to make men free. (D-Day by Stephen Ambrose, pg.258).
As I begin this morning's sermon, let me invite you to join with me in thinking of a song that you might choose if you were to find yourself in such dire straits - - embarking upon an expedition that could well cost you your life. There is something about war that arouses a measure of faith in most everyone. What's that saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes.”? The song or songs that we would likely meditate upon would most likely be hymns: spiritual songs that draw our thoughts heavenward as we seek help from the Lord of Hosts.
While hinted at in Gen.32:2, the title Lord of Hosts (“Lord Sabaoth”) first appears in Scripture in 1Sam.1:3, In reference to Elkanah, the father of a young boy who would grow up to be the prophet and priest Samuel, we read - - Now this man would go up from his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of Hosts in Shiloh. Scripture records a close encounter of a heavenly kind experienced by Joshua prior to a batle (Josh.5:12-15) - - Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, 'Are you for us or for our adversaries?' And he said, 'No, rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.' And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, 'What has my lord to say to his servant?' And the captain of the Lord's hosts said to Joshua, 'Remove you sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy. And Joshua did so.
I have chosen my sermon title, 'Mid Scenes Of Deepest Gloom, from the words of the hymn that we have just sung: He Leadeth Me. That song was penned by J. H. Gilmore during the time of our nation's Civil War. It is impossible for us to fully comprehend what these WWII soldiers faced as they headed to the beaches of Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword (a 10-mile swath along the north coast of France/Normandy). Even if we've seen movies like The Longest Day ... Saving Private Ryan …and Band Of Brothers, what our soldiers went through in WWII, and in particular on D-Day, cannot be adequately communicated by means of the silver screen. The Invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord) was the largest marshaling of troops in modern history. It included an Allied Navy totaling 5.333 vessels - - 2,727 larger ships plus another 2,606 Higgins boats & smaller craft. The combined allied Air Forces included 11,590 planes. These allied forces represented 12 nations: United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Belgium, Norway, Poland, Greece and Holland.
The future of the world hinged on the success of the D-Day invasion. Winston Churchill famously stated: “Never was so much owed by so many to so few”. The late Major Richard Winters once related: I cherish the memories of a question my grandson asked me the other day, when he said, 'Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?' Grandpa said, 'No, but I served in a company of heroes.'
To speak about war requires a delicate balance on the part of a preacher. Many WWII soldiers commented on how they were raised going to Sunday School learning the 10 commandments, one of which clearly states, You shall not kill!, and then they suddenly found themselves on the battlefield having to kill of be killed. There is such a thing as a JUST WAR. Prov.21:3 states, to do righteousness and justice is desired by the Lord rather than sacrifice. In Rom.13:4, Paul speaks of governmental authorities as being “a servant of God to you for good”. Albert Einstein once wrote: “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”
Veterans Day is a national commemoration and expression of gratitude not just for those who died in service, but to all who have served in our military - - both past and present. We took time this morning, prior to our pledge of allegiance to the flag, to recognize several of our veterans.
In closing, I want to tell you the story of Russell LeeRoy Pickett, from Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, who at the age of 94 was present on June 6, 2019 , for the 75th anniversary of D-Day. This ceremony included a gathering of 15,000 at the American Cemetery in Normandy, France, overlooking the the beaches and the site of the D-Day invasion. French President Macron assisted Russell in standing up and then President Trump gave him a big hug. Russell Pickett was the sole survivor of Company A of the 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Division. He died in August of this year at the age of 95. His band of brothers led the charge 76 years ago on to Omaha Beach, a chaotic bloodbath which became known as the “suicide wave” and was made familiar to us by the movie, Saving Private Ryan. Pickett's highly trained company suffered a 96% casualty rate during the first hour on Omaha, the fiercest and costliest strip of beach during Operation Overlord. The U.S. Air Forces bombing campaign failed to knock out the German defenses ahead of the landing. This left the 29th Division to emerge from the sea into machine and artillery fire which turned the sand red and made the sea a gruesome soup of body parts. Two-thirds of Private first class Pickett's company were to die within a week of the land of on June 6, 1944. A “company” consisted of 80-250 soldiers. Pickett spoke about having flashbacks as he stood in the cemetery overlooking the beach. He started out with the demolition crew, but transferred to being a flamethrower after he witnessed one of his comrades blown in half by TNT during a training session. His job at 6:30 on June 6, 1944 was to land on the beach, crawl through a gap made by the wire-cutters, and run across three-hundred yards of sand to knock out a German pillbox containing machine-gunners. His landing craft was in the lead in the assault on the beach. They were right on schedule, arriving at the right time and the right place, but it hit something - - a mine or artillery shell and in Pickett's words, “it knocked me coo-coo.” He awoke some time later in shallow water unable to move. About 12' to 15' to his right he saw a dead man but couldn't see his face. He couldn't pull himself closer because his elbows were just digging into the sand. He saw a big lieutenant (Fergusson) running down the beach screaming and hollering: “I can't see, I can't see.” His whole forehead was down over his face. He ran a little more and then was shot down. The tide took Pickett out to sea where (thankfully) he was picked up and taken back to England for medical attention. He was reunited with his company six days later - - although he continued to limp badly. While in a foxhole in Brest, France, an enemy shell collapsed a wall on top of him leaving him on the edge of death. (cf. www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/06/i-would-do-it-again )
After Veterans Day I will carefully take down my U.S. Flag. I will fold it nicely and store it during the winter months, but it will reappear in the spring time - - long before Flag Day (June 14). We all owe a deep debt of gratitude to those who have served our nation in the cause of freedom. These military men and women are worthy of our respect, our honor, and our gratitude.
Dear Heavenly Father, Help us who have grown up in the safety of a country where freedoms abide to never take liberty for granted. We pause today to express our gratitude to You for blessing us so richly as a nation. We thank You for those who serve in our military - - May Your sovereign hand be with them daily. Through Christ, The Lord of Hosts - - Lord Sabaoth, we pray. Amen.
