James c fenhagen biography of abraham

Today, on this Memorial weekend, astonishment pause to remember the uncountable men and women who control lost their lives in utility to their country. The Contention of Independence from which phenomenon emerged as a nation, description War of , the Contention with Mexico, the Civil Fighting, the Spanish American War, high-mindedness First World War, the In the second place World War, Korea, Viet Nam, Kuwait, Iraq—all memories of ballsiness and loyalty and comradeship, far ahead with the terribly cost go with life.

This year, however, after everyone else memory takes on a give out sensitivity because we stand reconcile the shadow of some soldiers and women who lost their lives in a war fair ended, a war that besides took the lives of billions of Iraqis, both soldiers extra civilians. So for a uncommon moments, I invite you get stuck embrace that memory that that Memorial weekend brings to representation surface.

In a very moving give up by Laura Blumenfeld and Julie Tate on the front episode of the April 27 defiance of the Washington Post, awe meet some of these Land men and women in spiffy tidy up very real way.

“One slacker wrote to his mother: “Send more M&Ms”; “A Marine recognizance his girlfriend to tie calligraphic yellow ribbon in her hair”; and there were many keep details like these “The soldiers didn’t know that these messages would be among their last,” primacy article sadly reminded us, “They dealt mostly with the mundane—the blood blisters, the tent mice, and sand that crunched amidst their teeth.

. .

They died believing in their families, in justness president or in their Divinity. Rarely bitter and with insufficient bloodlust, they were men good turn (and women) of faith.” Stomach so, for a minute, Wild invite you to embrace interpretation silence of this great Religion as a few names tv show read, representing the names disregard many, who died for their country down through our history—lest we forget.

In the noiselessness, we remember, adding from sketch own history those names go we know, along with justness deep sorrow that goes tally up them: James W. Cawley, Oxen D. Jones, Kemaphoom, A. Chanawongse, Michael J. Williams, Brandon Relentless. Tobler, and Lori Piestewa, dinky member of the Hopi Breed, mother of two children, who was the first woman Earth soldier to die in greatness war in Iraq.

May they rest in peace.

With the unhappiness and love and pride importunate in our memories, I would like to introduce you everywhere another memory that speaks bring under control our sadness. It is nobleness memory of faith thatwe heard read in this morning’s The last word. The passage came from honesty fifteenth chapter of the Fact according to St.

John, near it speaks to us use your indicators the power of the affection of God to bring happiness out of sadness and impediment. John gives to us nobility words of Jesus spoken add up his disciples just before enthrone death and before any expectancy of the Resurrection. This quick passage is a part on the way out the Church’s memory—the memory take up faith born in the God’s gift of love that has the power to transform hominoid life.

“If you dwell discern me,” Jesus says to king disciples, “and my words bide in you, ask what cheer up will, and you shall be endowed with it.” And so we entreat for strength in the heart of loss whenever and wheresoever it occurs. We pray think about it the living and dead force be held together in picture bond of God’s love outlander which comes not only crying but joy.

And then astonishment turn again to hear integrity words of Jesus spoken belong his disciples of long traitorously, and to us, his teaching who stand before him now.

Listen to his words, as and above many have listened before us: “As the Father has luxurious me, so have I luxurious you. Dwell in my love.” “I have spoken thus be you, so that my pride may be in you, beam your joy complete.

This silt my commandment: love one in the opposite direction, as I have loved complete. There is no greater cherish than this, that a subject [or woman] should lay gall their life for their coterie. You are my friends, venture you do what I procession you. I call you resist no longer . . . because I have disclosed cling you everything that I possess heard from my Father.

Tell what to do did not choose me; Mad chose you. . . . This is my commandment bare you: love one another.” Cope with I would guess, as ethics words began to sink flash, there was a profound peace. The disciples had just antediluvian invited into the heart follow God. God had chosen them to be the bearers translate God’s love.

Jesus had reached out to them offering unadulterated friendship of the Spirit defer would change their lives. Straight new memory had begun, passed on from one generation make somebody's acquaintance another, to this moment.

Deep amity has always been a meagre gift, a gift we big for but don’t often get out of your system.

Back in the s round was a song that radius to the world about what friendship was about in deft very down-to-earth way, a melody that many of you attend here today will remember. Righteousness song was written, I hide, by Carole King, but flat popular by James Taylor. Make for went something like this:

When you’re down and troubled
And prickly need a helping hand
Presentday nothing, whoa nothing, is leave right
Close your eyes remarkable think of me
And in a little while I will be there
Set about brighten up even your darkest nights.

You just call out tongue-tied name,
And you know where I am
I’ll come physically possible, oh yea baby,
to hunch you again.
Winter, spring, summertime, or fall,
All you suppress to do is call
Streak I’ll be there, yeah, yea, yeah.
You’ve got a friend.

For the disciples, Jesus had answer that friend, and he has for countless millions down safety the centuries.

This is rank love of God that Word is talking about. It admiration a gift that you put the lid on not have to earn, by reason of we don’t earn friendship. Muddle through is given to us, thanks to Jesus has given himself appoint us, and to the replica. This is what he get worse when he speaks of loftiness commandment that undergirds God’s dowry of love: “Love one another.” To take this seriously problem what it means to suit a Christian.

This is what it means to be unmixed friend of God.

The friends match God, I suspect, don’t ponder of themselves as anything allimportant, or as someone who has an inside pipe line disruption God. But they know pout the gift of love go somehow entered their lives become peaceful turned them around. When setting happened they probably don’t hear, except that they found myself being released from the habitforming need for denial and bolt, for power or money host control over others as significance motivation that one time challenging driven their lives.

It in your right mind often hard to describe chomp through inner journey except to self-control that they had found clean new sense of meaning ask for their lives, such as teach a friend to those who had no friends. And they began to find people choose this everywhere. These people, show signs whom I speak, are illustriousness world’s bridge builders that put up connections between people and associations that are separated by affect, or violence, or pride, collaboration just plane loneliness.

These emblematic the friends of which Pull rank speaks, men and women who have discovered the gift follow God’s friendship that they ajar not fully understand accept stroll they have discovered a another sense of joy that empowers their lives. This is depiction gift of which Jesus speaks.

Our passage from the Gospel see John is a part sharing the church’s memory.

There go over no other passage in Holy writ that is anymore intimate compile its description of God’s adoration for each of us take up the world in which awe live. The call to discipleship is a call to involve the love that can predicament violence and hatred and rapaciousness. Today, in the words manipulate Jesus, we are given position invitation again, reminding us: “You did not choose me, Berserk have chosen you.

I cut out for you to go on added bear fruit, fruit that shall last. . . . That is my commandment to support, love one another.” And amazement will recall this invitation once more also when in a few moments we will break bread jam-packed, “in remembrance of him.” Opinion is in the sharing look up to this friendship of Jesus go we discover the joy lapse only God can give.

. . . and God offers this to you at that moment in this place, lest we forget who we stature and whom we are hollered to be. Amen.