Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

As president Franklin D. Rooselvelt named it in his address to Congress on December 8, 1941, December 7th is a "date that will live in infamy," and is rightly being commemorated on its 70th anniversary by a moment of silence, fly-overs, and the scattering of ashes of survivors, some on the Utah, others on the Arizona, both of which still lie at the bottom of the harbor, and others over the waters. 120 survivors have mustered to be present to pay their respects to the 2,388 servicemen who died and the the 1,178 who were wounded that morning. It was the shock that brought us into war with the Empire of Japan, and, in truth, changed the world.
As the numbers of survivors dwindle, along with those of us who remember the bombing from our youths, all that is right and just demands that we not lose the memory of this catastrophic event, and continue to reflect on its impact. War is never neat nor pretty, but sometimes necessary. Sacrifices of lives and lifestyle to preserve our national integrity were needed and came forth without hesitation. Those who returned from battle, spoke little of their experiences until recently, stating it simply as a job to be done. A terrible job, we might say, but one which allowed our flag to fly free.
Today war continues in Afgahnistan, but worse, a war against the message of Jesus rages with ever increasing intensity. No, we are not throwing people to the lions, but subtly, the message is being diluted, rejected, mocked, ignored, and in some areas, attacked. When we read of some of the atrocities being committed in our schools, our communities, our cities, aren't we asking, "Where is all this coming from? How far does it have to go before we put a stop to it?"
The Hebrews longed for a Messiah to deliver them from the oppression of the Romans, but the Messiah came to liberate all on a much deeper level. May reflection on Pearl Harbor, and our present world help us to draw deeper meaning from our Advent observences, and help us to make its hope and promise real.
Bro. Rene