November 8, 2026
Psalm 46
Remembering Our Veterans
Invocation
Gracious and Most Holy Lord, You, O God, are our God. You are with us in all the times of life to offer hope and light and comfort. We come to you now with thanks: thanks for our freedom; thanks for our peace; thanks for our prosperity and security.
As we celebrate Veteran’s Day, we thank you, especially, for the women and men who gave of themselves in times of war to help to ensure the blessings that we enjoy. The names, the faces, the stories come to us, once again, and we honor them, their courage, their sacrifice, their willingness to put themselves in harm’s way for a better cause.
May we never forget. We pray that wars and rumors of wars would cease, but if there is a need, let those of us who are able, and called, go forth as faithfully as did our ancestors that the cause of peace and justice may be defended and upheld.
We pray that the freedom found in our country and the freedom found in and through Christ is always worth fighting for. We pray all this in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Amen.
Scripture Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
This is the word of God for the people of God ….
Thanks be to God.
Call to Worship
For all who have served in the armed forces to ensure our
freedom, we honor you.
For the families who kept the home fires burning and provided
continuous support for their soldiers, we thank you.
For the wounds you have suffered at the hands of war,
For the times of loneliness you have felt on the battlefields of life,
For the sacrifices you have made, for the times you were not thanked,
For the times you chose courage in the face of fear,
For the times you were not shown compassion,
For the difficult decisions you had to make,
For the losses you have suffered, we thank you now.
We honor you now. Your sacrifices will not be forgotten.
Prayer
Almighty Father, we could never thank our military men and women enough for their courageous service and sacrifice to our country and its people. Yet today we lift up our voices to express gratefulness and honor to these military troops both from the past and present. Show us ways in our communities, churches, and families to thank and love them better. Keep and protect these heroes and their families, in the powerful name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Guide us all in the way of peace. Amen.
“Remembering Our Veterans”
Lt. Colonel Karen L. Meeker is the Division Chaplain for the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, Texas. She sends this message to us for use today.
Chaplain Karen Meeker grew up in Huntington Mills, Pennsylvania. She is endorsed by the United Methodist Church and is an elder in the Susquehanna Conference. She served a year in the West Indies and three years in State College, Pennsylvania, with the United Methodist Church. She entered active duty as an Army Chaplain in 1997. Chaplain Meeker is a graduate of Bucknell University and holds a bachelor of arts degree in the classics. She received her masters of divinity from Harvard Divinity School. She received clinical pastoral education at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
In her message she uses the story of Jephthah from Judges 11. Jephthah is the bastard son of Gilead. His dad was a respected leader, victorious in battle, who saved the people from the enemy.
While his dad was famous, his mom was a prostitute. Jephthah’s half-brothers did not want to share any attention or inheritance, and they drove him out of the house. Jephthah was an outcast from the start, having to fend for himself.
Until one day, a rival tribe was once again threatening the peace of the Hebrews. The elders, presumably his brothers, sent for Jephthah to lead them against their enemy. Jephthah grew up as a fighter. Always being picked on because of his illegitimacy, he developed into a fierce opponent. No doubt they wanted Jephthah to channel his anger at their enemy. A bit reluctant at first and understandably so, Jephthah agrees to return to lead the army in battle. Like his father, Jephthah defeats the enemy. The end.
I love happy endings. Unfortunately, like many veterans stories, it is not so neat. Before he goes into battle, Jephthah makes a vow to God that if God would deliver him, he would sacrifice whoever was the first to greet him at home. His only child was the one who ran out to greet him, banging a tambourine and dancing. His daughter’s happiness is only equaled by his grief.
An excruciating story that often befuddles preachers may resonate with veterans – and also with a lot of us. Coming home is complicated with a host of emotions. People change over time. How much more so with combat as the change agent?
Don’t let those YouTube reunions fool you. While there is intense joy and relief when a service member is reunited with loved ones, there is also anxiety over the arduous task of fitting back into the family and daily routine.
When Jepthah’s daughter learns of her father’s disappointment, she does not spend her last days with her dad. Rather, she goes off with her girlfriends. There are split loyalties between service members and their loved ones which creates estrangement just like in our scripture story.
Recall Uriah, who in Second Samuel chapter 11, King David ordered back from the battle to the city of Jerusalem. David wanted Uriah to cover up his own adulterous affair. Uriah, however, does not go home to his wife. He stays in the city gate out of loyalty to his soldiers still in the field. He will not allow himself the comfort of his wife while his troops are still fighting. I wonder how that made her feel? Uriah chose his soldiers over her.
Spouses and children make sacrifices themselves for the cause of freedom. Loyalty to the mission runs deep for service members, which competes with their loyalty and responsibility to their families, causing hurt feelings. So the stories of Jepthah and Uriah unravel in the lives of our veterans. What is the message for them and for the church and for us?
Whenever Jesus interacts with a soldier, He does not condemn. He applauds the faith of the Centurion and He forgives the troops who nail Him to the cross. Jesus says, “Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called children of God.”
In Matthew 5:9, Jesus speaks a word of acceptance to those who sacrifice their lives and their families for the cause of peace. Jesus recognizes that the service member follows orders so that there will be order. In following orders, the soldier is estranged from his or her family. Jesus says to the veteran, you are a child of the Father. You have a family, and that family is God’s family.
The Apostle Paul uses the soldier as an example of self-discipline. Think about the life of a soldier, sailor, airman or marine? Are their self-disciplines similar to ours? How do we balance loyalty to God, family, and our nation? Where does God and the church fit in?
Physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual wounds have immediate and lasting financial, medical, personal and professional impact on veterans and their families, just like for us and our families. Where can we, as the church, provide support?
The reasons military personnel may have disconnected from the church are often the same as for our friends and neighbors who no longer attend. Consider making a few phone calls and visits to someone who used to sit near you in these pews and invite them back.
Just as we depend on the fellowship of our congregation, a deployed soldier needs the same support. How can we support a soldier while he or she is deployed? How can we support these soldiers on our prayer list and their families while they are away? What are other ways where our church can provide support:
• Financial counseling • Job placement
• Finding a home • Providing temporary shelter, food and clothing • Providing health services
Let us continue to open our hearts as God shapes us to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously. In the name of the Father,
The Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
Loving God,
Let us give thanks to God for the land of our birth with all its chartered liberties. For all the wonder of our country’s story, For leaders in nation and state, and for those who in days past and in these present times have labored for the common good, For those who in all times and places have been true and brave, and in the worlds common ways have lived upright lives and ministered to their fellows, For those who served their country in its hour of need, and especially for those who gave even their lives in that service: We give you thanks,
almighty God and most merciful Father, as we remember these your servants, remembering with gratitude their courage and strength, we hold before you those who mourn them.
Look upon your bereaved servants with your mercy. As this day or remembrance brings us memories of those we have lost and those who went before us to preserve our freedom, may it also bring your consolation and the assurance that all our loved ones are alive now and forever in your living presence.
O God, hear our prayers and answer them as you know is best for us, We know that those who call upon your Name rejoice.
Help us rejoice anew as we pray for these …..
our police officers, EMTs & firefighters, all in our military service & their families, our nation, our church, all unspoken prayer concerns, people of Ukraine & Russia, the Middle East, Cuba & Venezuela, Japan, Nepal, all victims of violence
And others we carry in our hearts ……………
Give us a new peace this day. Help us to pray and listen for you.
Now may we boldly pray together the prayer
you taught us - - saying
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us, not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power,
and the glory, forever. Amen.