Honour, Courage, Commitment
1 Corinthians 16:13
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.[1]
Pay to all what is owed to them: …honour to whom honour is owed [Romans 13:7]. It is appropriate that as a church we observe this day of commemoration for and gratitude to the men and women who daily risk their lives providing protection for the communities in which we live. In doing this, we fulfil a mandate of Scripture. Though they are not always conscious of the role they fulfil, those who serve the public act as servants of God. Paul identifies the one in authority as God’s servant for your good [Romans 13:4].
The date chosen for this commemorative service is felicitous and significant. It was one year ago this past Friday that the nation was shocked when four RCMP constables were murdered from ambush in Mayerthorpe, Alberta. That tragic massacre served as a stark reminder of the daily danger faced by those men and women who provide policing services for us. Since that dark day, at least three other police officers in Alberta, in Ontario and in Quebec have been killed while they were on duty.
It was two weeks after the Mayerthorpe massacre that two fire fighters—one an eighteen-year veteran and one who had worked as a fireman only two weeks—died in Yellowknife, NWT, when the roof of a burning building collapsed, trapping them in the fire. The dedicated men and women who serve in the Fire Protection Services that provide protection for our towns and cities face danger daily. In the first two months of this current year, thirteen fire fighters have died in the line of duty in the United States and Canada. The inhalation of smoke and chemicals resulting from combustion of building materials appear to predispose firemen to an elevated incidence of cancer. All this is done to protect our lives and our properties from threat of fire.
We are fortunate that members of the BC Ambulance Service have been spared from death during recent days. However, if you know an individual who serves to provide emergency care to our province, you realise that they hazard their lives for our welfare each time they are called to attend a medical emergency or to attend a potential emergency. Such selfless acts deserve our commendation.
The RCMP has adopted core values that guide the lives of men and women who serve and protect. Those values are accountability, respect, professionalism, honesty, compassion and integrity. Core Values reflect the ideals inculcated into members of a given service, and these core values guide the actions of the members. Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are respected throughout the world, and without question, that respect results from the fact that these dedicated men and women exemplify the highest Canadian ideals enumerated in the core values of the force. The dangers inherent in their work become stunningly apparent on occasion, but the daily requirement for quiet courage is seldom seen by the casual observer. The ideals represented among our police are easily taken for granted precisely because the members have so thoroughly integrated those core values into their lives. For this, we must give thanks.
Frequently, you will see inscribed across the bottom of the Fireman’s Cross the words “Loyal to our Duty.” Canadian fire fighters have repeatedly proven themselves exemplary in loyalty to duty. The example provided by members of the Kelowna Fire Department during the conflagration of a few summers past stands out as commendable. They dedicated themselves to defending the homes of their neighbours, even though their own homes were threatened, and in some instances destroyed. Yet, their example is no more exemplary that that of fire fighters who serve our own communities on a daily basis. Again, we must give thanks for these who daily risk themselves for our benefit.
Trained professionals serving within the British Columbia Ambulance Service demonstrate commitment to values that deserve the commendation of all people. Providing care for the injured and the sick, these dedicated professionals ensure that there is a medical presence whenever there is a disaster or an accident even in the remotest parts of our province. Rushing to attend a call, they have no way of knowing what they will encounter when they arrive. Yet, they always stand ready to provide emergency medical care in those times when our lives are threatened. The quiet courage and idealism each brings to the service is cause for thanksgiving.
The core values of the dedicated men and women we honour today reflect the highest ideals of Canadian society. To a significant extent, the ideals embraced by each of these services have their roots in a shared heritage reflecting the Christian Faith of those who preceded us in founding this great nation. We do not deny the presence of other faiths when we remember the roots of our nation, but honesty compels us to acknowledge that it was Christian ideals that made Canada the great nation it is today.
We honour our guests who share this service for the sacrifice they willingly accept for our sake, and also because the uniforms they wear speak of values that are respected throughout society as those that honour God and build a great nation.
The Need for Core Values — Increasingly, we live in a world confused by what it means to be a man, or what it means to be a woman. Boys are feminised both through social pressure and even through legislative pressure, and they either succumb to those pressures or they become reactionary. Terrence O. Moore has written a perceptive and disturbing article entitled Wimps and Barbarians. Barbarians, says Moore, are crude, antisocial and uncivilised—boys that fail to grow up. Barbarians are sloppily dressed young males wandering in packs through shopping malls, with limited linguistic ability, exhibiting crude manners and treating women rudely. Wimps are whiny, incapable of making decisions and incapable of acting manly. They look to women for moral support, consider girlfriends to be conversation partners, and look to women for pity.[2]
Girls, facing similar pressures in contemporary society, are taught that it is not necessary to be either chaste or modest. Confronted with “men” that are either wimps or barbarians, they are driven to either assume responsibilities that they do not want—to mother the wimps, or to become either “party girls” or “perpetual girlfriends” entering into serial “relationships” in a futile search for the stability they long for.[3]
There is a desperate need for boys to grow up to be manly, to use their strength for the good of others and to treat women with courtesy. Is it too much to expect that girls will be womanly—chaste and modest in their deportment, holding men to a higher standard than serving as mere momentary companions? This need is exaggerated because society is confused and can no longer define manliness or identify what godly femininity should be. Churches no longer speak on the subject of courtesy and goodness, presenting instead little talks about being nice. We preachers should be ashamed.
I do not wish to be guilty of presenting mere caricatures, but the extremes have become sufficiently common in our day to be worrisome. The antidote to these extremes is for each of us to ensure that we are men and women of character. This means that mothers and father must be examples of goodness, and that we each must assume responsibility to be good citizens. The antidote to the extremes named is provided in part through the example of dedicated men and women, who hold to values that make society better, nobler, more stable. Those values are values that still guide the RCMP, the Fire Departments and EMS personnel—the services we honour today.
The statement may be deplored by some, nevertheless, Christians are responsible to live by core values, serving as salt and light in the world. Perhaps nowhere are we given a more concise statement of Christian core values than that provided by the Apostle to the Gentiles as he concluded his first letter to the Corinthians. This singular verse states the core values of the Christian Faith—Vigilance, Steadfastness, Courage, Strength. These values mark us as Christians. We do not adopt these values in order to become Christians, but because we are Christians, these values identify us.
The Core Values Urged Upon all Christians —Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Vigilance. Steadfastness. Courage. Strength. These core values mark us as Christians, and it is not only here that we find these values urged upon all who will honour God. Indeed, throughout the Word of God these values are taught.
The Apostle warns Christians to be watchful. The mature Christian is aware of conditions in the world in which he lives. He is not driven by feelings, but rather he is guided by truth to act deliberately and with wisdom. He compares all teaching by the standard of the Word of God, testing what is taught in order to separate truth from error. While it is popular to adapt what one believes to the opinion of the majority, truth is not determined by a vote; truth is truth regardless of how one feels. So, the Christian must be vigilant against accepting error because everyone seems to be saying error is true.
Perhaps you have noted the theme of vigilance that runs throughout the Word of God. Stay awake, says the Master, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming [Matthew 24:42]. This is a theme the Master repeated in Luke 12:37. Writing the Christians in Rome, Paul appealed to them to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them [Romans 16:7]. Concluding his first letter to the Church in Thessalonica, Paul pleaded with his readers, Let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober [1 Thessalonians 5:6].
As citizens and as Christians, each of us should be eager to participate in making society better. We are responsible to invest ourselves wisely in the participatory democracy that is Canada. We are responsible to endeavour to make a positive contribution through being reliable workers, through obeying the laws of the land, and through living such good lives that we are commended for our goodness.
Likewise, steadfastness is a Christian ideal taught throughout the Word of God. It is admirable when men and women know what they believe. The evidence that an individual holds convictions rather than mere preferences is that the individual does not change with the moment. Those Christians who hold truth serious do not take a poll to determine what is true or what is noble or what is good; they recognise truth and they adhere to that that is true. Unlike some individuals who remind us of gophers sticking their heads up out of subterranean caverns to see which way the wind is blowing, the steadfast Christian has determined truth and walks in truth reflecting the love of the Saviour and in the assurance that comes from the Spirit of God.
Firmness is likewise a theme throughout the Bible. For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery [Galatians 5:1]. Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel [Philippians 1:27]. Stand firm … in the Lord, my beloved [Philippians 4:1]. Stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter [2 Thessalonians 2:15].
The command to act like men translates a single word in the Greek text. Today, it is probably not politically correct to encourage anyone to act like men. Nevertheless, the phrase connotes an image that speaks of “mature courage.” Courage is not filling a role simply because one can do so. Courage is not being fearless. Courage is assessing realistically the danger one faces and then standing firm against every threat. We do not call people “heroes” because they die in the course of duty; we call people “heroes” who fulfil their assigned responsibilities regardless of the cost. Such people consider the potential cost, and they value the fulfilment of the task assigned.
We do not praise our guests as heroes, but we recognise that they have chosen to guide their lives by values that place them in the position to be momentarily called to react heroically. For that reason, we must express our gratitude to each one. We Christians admire courage, urged upon us throughout this Word. This respect of quiet courage is seen in the example provided by Doctor Luke in Acts 4:13 and in Acts 4:29-31.
Paul encourages all Christians to be courageous when he says of the disciples that worked together with him, we are very bold [2 Corinthians 3:12]. He urges us as Christians not to lose heart [Ephesians 3:13], but to stand courageously against evil. Though imprisoned for the crime of being a Christian, a sentence that is increasingly witnessed throughout the Middle East and in Asia, and even in Europe today, the Apostle urges those who witnessed his struggle to take courage [see Philippians 1:12-14, 19-21].
Our constant prayer as Christians is for strength. Here are a few such prayers. According to the riches of [the Father’s] glory [I pray that] He may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being [Ephesians 3:16]. Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might [Ephesians 6:10]. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy [Colossians 1:11].
These are not prayers for physical strength, but rather for moral and ethical strength. A Christian’s word should be true; what we promise is what we should do. There should not be two characters for the Christian—one for Sunday and one for Monday. If we are believers in the Lord Christ, we are responsible to be pure, to be good, to be righteous. We should so live that we are respected for our character.
The Danger of Forgetting Core Values — The danger to all society if we neglect these core values is that society degenerates into a beast we no longer recognise, one in which civility is destroyed and goodness and honour are depreciated. A society in which the ideals of vigilance, steadfastness, courage and strength are neglected as people increasingly focus on themselves instead of considering what is good for others within society. A society in which the values listed are no longer held is one of which it will be said, everyone did what was right in his own eyes [Judges 17:6].
Sacrifice and dedication grow out of shared values; sacrifice and dedication are not values that stand alone. Sacrifice and dedication grow out of conviction that one’s course is right, that one is acting in a proper manner, that one recognises the danger that results from failure to hold to what is good, that one assume responsibility to fulfil the task assigned, however onerous that task may appear. If our nation forgets the core values of vigilance, steadfastness, courage, and moral and ethical strength, the future is indeed bleak. If our nation permits these core values to fall into disrespect, the sacrifice and dedication witnessed in the example of trained emergency personnel such as we honour today will become but a distant memory and we will all be poorer for the loss.
A society in which the values listed are forgotten is a society that loses respect for institutions that have given stability. It is a society that becomes increasingly discourteous and that becomes less and less noble. That society that has forgotten the values that made it great is a society that soon becomes corrupt and it is susceptible to being supplanted by an even more evil society.
Instilling Core Values —If the values that made us a great society are to continue, we must ensure they are reflected in our own lives. This must not be attempted in a rash or in a harsh manner, but it must be done deliberately and with determination. Paul urges the Corinthians to implement the values of vigilance, steadfastness, courage and strength, but he tempers his instruction with, Let all that you do be done in love [1 Corinthians 16:14].
Love, especially as urged upon congregations, is ridiculed. However, the love that Paul urges on us is the selfless love that considers the benefit of others. This is the love that guides us to still believe the words of the Master to be true. He has taught us, Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends [John 15:13]. Such love will set us free from asking, “What’s in this for me?” That sort of love will impel us to consider the impact of our actions on our neighbour. As result, our communities will be enriched and our nation will be made stronger.
I must believe that when little boys and little girls are asked what they want to be when they grow up, and they respond by saying they want to be policemen, or by saying they want to be a fire fighter, it is in no small measure that they intuitively recognise goodness and nobility in these services. This is a natural response in recognition that the sacrifice and dedication to the hard tasks characteristic of work is right and commendable. When little ones admire the emergency medical personnel they see on television and in life, they must recognise that these men and women represent that which is best within our society. For this reason, we should give thanks, not merely for the hard work that these dedicated individuals provide in our world, and not merely for their presence among us, but we should give thanks that they provide a model of goodness for all of us to see. Your presence serves to inspire us to excel; and for that, we give thanks.
Love that motivates anyone to excel is love that finds it roots in Christ the Lord. Jesus, the Son of God, died because of our sin. He rose from the grave on the third day to make us right with God. This is the ultimate example of sacrifice that impels Christians to serve and to be grateful.
Because of this, He now calls all of us to faith in Him, the Living Son of God. This is why it is written, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. This is also why we say that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved [Romans 10:9, 10, 13].
I would be less than a servant of the Risen Christ if I did not say that my sincere prayer is for protection and goodness to be shown to each individual who lives a life of love, surrendering his or her own convenience and risking even life for the benefit of others. I would also be less than a servant of the Living Christ if I did not say that each individual sharing the service must recognise that life is tenuous, and that God shall one day judge the living and the dead. On this basis, I urge each individual sharing our service today to consider the faith of Christ the Lord. Believe the message of life that we present and receive the life offered through Jesus the Risen Lord of life. Amen.
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[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers, 2001. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] Terrence O. Moore, Wimps and Barbarians: The Sons of Murphy Brown, The Claremont Institute, http://claremont.org/writings/crb/winter2003/moore.html, accessed 4 March 2006
[3] Terrence O. Moore, Heather’s Compromise: How Young Women Make Their Way in a World of Wimps and Barbarians, The Claremont Institute, http://claremont.org/writings/crb/spring2004/moore.html, accessed 4 March 2006
