In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

    That mark our place; and in the sky

    The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

    Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

        In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

    The torch; be yours to hold it high.

    If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

        In Flanders fields.

Written on May 3, 1915, the poem In Flanders Fields by John McCrae references the red poppies that grew over the graves of fallen soldiers resulting in the remembrance poppy becoming one of the world’s most recognized memorial symbols for soldiers who have died in conflict

On the 11^th hour, of the 11^th day in the 11^th month of 1918, an armistice was declared to temporarily end armed combat between the Allied nations and Germany during World War I. The Treaty of Versaille officially ending the Great War would be signed on June 28, 1919, In November of 1919, US President Woodrow officially commemorate Armistice Day.

On June 4, 1926, Congress passed a resolution that the “recurring anniversary of [November 11, 1918] should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations,” and that the president should issue an annual proclamation calling for the observance of Armistice Day.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the legislation on June 1, 1954 that amended the 1938 act that had made Armistice Day a holiday, striking the word “Armistice” in favor of “Veterans.”. From then on, November 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

So, what does this have to do with the church or a woman who gave her last pennies to the church?

God wants peace on this earth. God wants people who are willing to give everything that they have to make that happen. I chose to talk about Veteran’s Day today because it isn’t just about us and the celebration of our soldiers and our victories, it is a celebration of World Peace, the ultimate goal. We celebrate the day the fighting stopped not the day the treaty was signed ending the war. We celebrate humankind living together peacefully with God’s creation.

I’m not sure how many of you realize this, but there was an election this past week. Some are rejoicing, some are sad, some are infuriated, some don’t care. I’m not going to get political here, rest assured, I pay little attention to politics but I want to tell you why. Because I trust God. In all ways, in all circumstances, against all odds, through thick and thin, I trust God.

I understand this widow’s plight. Have you ever been so desperate that the only hope you have left is to toss your last bit to God, put your hands together and pray? I have. No matter who is elected president of the United States, no matter what wars get fought around the world, no matter what atrocities humankind manages to commit that we haven’t even dreamed up yet, I trust God that in the end, everything is going to be okay for those who believe. So long as we keep fighting for peace on earth, repent of our evil ways, and accept the forgiveness that is offered. Equality and justice for all people will eventually prevail.

Armistice Day, now known as Veteran’s Day celebrated not the end of the war but the end of the fighting.

When I read this pericope, I feel for this widow. I feel her heart ache, her energy drained, her feeling of defeat that she cannot do it herself. That seemingly impossible decision she made to stop fighting and trust God. So as I hear those copper coins clink against the offering plate, I also hear hope, desperate hope. That moment when we let go of control completely and surrender. That moment when we embrace that faith is a matter of life and death. We can choose to believe and cast our hope on nothing less than Christ or we can perish back to the earth.

For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.

What would it take for you to contribute everything you had to live on to God? How desperate would you have to be?

How many of you instantly just thought I meant putting all your money in the offering plate? I shall say this again… and probably again… our churches are dying not because of a financial problem but because of a discipleship problem.

To put in everything you have to God is to use every talent, every gift God has granted you for the glory of God. If you are a writer, writing for God. Writing cards or letters to homebound individuals, write a newsletter, whatever you write, do it for God.

If you are creative, decorating the church, tables for fellowship dinners, designing flyers, announcements, whatever your creative talent is, God and God’s church have use for it.

If you like to talk which some of you, I know you do, are you using your voice for the glory of God, God’s kingdom, to be a liturgist perhaps maybe serving on a committee so that you have voice and vote in the church? Prefer private conversations, maybe place phone calls to shut-ins, or just check in with church family to see how they’re doing.

If you can move and carry fire at the same time, consider acolyting.

Good with finances? We’ve got a finance team. Churches exist in the real world, we have bills to pay.

Fix things, clean things? Collect things? Motivate people? Whatever it is you have, are you putting everything in or are you holding back because you think all God’s church wants is your money? Or maybe you think your talent isn’t that useful. God thinks otherwise.

Got wants everything. The church is supposed to be a hub working toward creating peace on earth. We are the one’s who are supposed to be welcoming to everyone regardless of their walk in life. We are to serve as a shelter in the storm of the world where peace can be found. But it takes all of us, putting everything we have, all that we live on, in God’s hands. It might just sound like copper coins to us but to God, it is worth more than all the treasury’s in all the world.

Veteran’s day is a celebration of peace in the world, the ideal we strive for. That goal has cost countless lives through violence and injustice because we try to take care of it ourselves instead of trusting God and doing things God’s way. The widow in our story stopped fighting. She waited until it was the last thing she had to give and gave it to God.

I wish we had more to this story. I want to know if she took what God offered back to her and what did she do with it. Each Sunday we present our tithes and offerings to God, a tiny little portion of what God has given to us financially and spiritually. I pray this church will grow. I pray this church will learn to embrace its eclectic and diverse neighbors both near and far. I pray this church will become a shining example of what God can do when His people put every thing they have into serving.

The first thing we have to do though? Stop fighting amongst ourselves. Stop fighting with our neighbors. Stop fighting against the church. Trust God. That doesn’t mean blind trust in the church. It means trust God. Take part in worship, take part in the church, let your voice be heard AND even more importantly, hear others and hear God. Figt the way God wants us to fight with love and prayers not with fists and slander.

Want to know where the money in that treasury goes? First of all… ask. Churches function on full transparency copies of our budget and expenditures are readily available to the public on the conference website and we are required to give financial statements to any member who asks. Show up to Charge Conference tonight at 5pm, check out our paperwork, show your support, voice your concerns. Put everything in, take part in this church.

You cannot win a fight if you don’t trust God and you don’t know what’s going on outside of worship. You have to be a part of it. You have to be all in.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

    That mark our place; and in the sky

    The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

    Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

        In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

    The torch; be yours to hold it high.

    If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

        In Flanders fields.

One day, we will all lose this fight we call life. The Good News is though, you can wave a white flag right now. You can cease fighting right now. You can lay down your life right now for God. You don’t have to wait until it’s the last thing you have. You can accept all God has to offer in this life

May, the Lord bless you and keep you;
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you
And be gracious to you;
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you
And give you peace