One minister's struggle with divided allegiances when the local Legion branch comes looking/or a chaplain
Adapted from a Remembrance Day 2007 sermon preached by Brussels (Ont.) Mennonite Fellowship pastor Brent Kipfer. He took as his text II Corinthians 5:11-6:2.
This summer, I received a gracious invitation from the Royal Canadian Legion branch in Brussels. They asked me to become their chaplain. The role would mainly involve officiating at Remembrance Day services, a Decoration y service in the spring and leadership at the funerals of veterans.
I felt honoured to be asked. I did have a question for the Legion leader who contacted me, though: How would her fellow Legion members feel about having a chaplain who is a pacifist? I thought they might be offended by the fact I renounce all violence, including that done by the military. I could not support any kind of recruitment effort or program that supported violent action.
I was surprised by her response. She told me that my views as a nonresistant Christian would not be a problem. As long as I was not obnoxious about it, she saw no reason why this should be a barrier to my leadership as chaplain.
This put me in a dilemma. I asked for some time to consider the invitation. Let me tell you why I wanted to say yes: 1.1 like veterans and I know that they are the last people who would glorify war. They know its horror first-hand. In most cases, they signed up for the military or accepted the draft believing it was the right thing to do. And many have paid a terrible price for it.
2.1 was impressed that the Legion executive was willing to risk inviting a pacifist to be their chaplain. I had no doubt we could work well together.
3. The chaplaincy would open up fresh opportunities for ministry in our community, both in one-to-one relationships and in public leadership. This was the most compelling reason I could think of to say yes. As chaplain, I would have freedom to share the gospel of peace made possible by Jesus Christ.
I talked to a United Church pastor who is a Legion chaplain in another community. He is also a pacifist. I found it inspiring to hear his vision for inviting Jesus into honest conversation about war and its devastation. I respect his integrity and I can see the possibility of fruitful ministry with a veterans' organization. I am attracted by the challenge of building bridges in a setting that is foreign to me.
So with all these reasons to say yes, why would I hesitate?
Whenever I make a decision, I want to test it against my deepest commitments: How does it connect with my allegiance to Jesus Christ and the call I have received to give witness to his reign in the world? How does it fit with my roles as a husband, father and pastor?
If I were to become chaplain of the Brussels Legion, it would take some time. Not a huge amount, but at certain points of the year it would affect my schedule. It would have some impact on the time I have available for my wife Sarah, our children and the church, but it would probably be manageable. This was a consideration, but it was not the deciding factor for me in this decision. I think I could be chaplain without compromising my responsibilities as a husband, father and pastor.
That leaves two questions:
* Would I honour the lordship of Jesus and his mission in the world by saying yes?
* Has God called me to do this?
A story of divided allegiances
The Oct. 29,2007 issue of Canadian Mennonite carried the story of Erwin Cornelsen ("To remember is to act for peace," page 4). Raised on a farm in Germany, he joined the Hitler youth movement when he was 17. It was 1938. Seven years later, the second World War was in its final days. He was stationed with a Nazi unit in Norway, a master sergeant in charge of 200 men.
One day he was talking with a soldier who had attended a training workshop on how to boost morale in the army. "What did you learn about the whole situation of war?" Cornelsen asked him. "What have you learned and what does the government and officials say about it?"
The soldier reported, "We have no right to think or talk about the situation. We just have to follow Hitler blindly. He makes no mistake."
Cornelsen scrunched up his face, stiffened his body and, without thinking, uttered the line that should have taken his life. "No," he said. "It's only God who's unfailing."
The soldier stared into his eyes. Saying nothing, he turned and walked back out of the office. Cornelsen stood with a blank stare draped across his face.
Some of his comrades overheard the conversation. "Keep your mouth shut," one soldier said. "You will end up in the concentration camp."
"I hadn't been thinking; it just blurted out," Cornelsen replied.
Erwin Cornelsen had made a decision to follow Jesus Christ when he was a teenager, but then he placed himself in a situation where his allegiance was far from dear. After years of serving Hitler, he came to understand that he could not serve two masters. Paul says, "What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience"
Jesus' cross changes everything
With any decision I make, I want my identity as a disciple of Jesus to be plain. I want to avoid taking any role that could compromise who am I in Christ. Our situation may not be as dramatic as the one that Erwin Cornelsen had to deal with, but we still face countless decisions about how plain we will stand before God and others.
Jesus gives us confidence. Because of his clear stand with Jesus, Paul does not need to justify himself to the Corinthians, but simply speaks with the freedom that our Saviour gives. He can say, "Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again"
The cross of Jesus changes everything. Here, by faith, we see the universe shift. The creator of all things hangs limp from two rough pieces of wood-dying for his enemies, offering up his life as a sacrifice for our sin, giving himself in love. He died the death that should have been ours, a death that is effective for everyone who comes to him in faith (people of every tribe and language and nation).
This is how Jesus deals with evil in the world. This is how Jesus deals with evil in our lives. He could have called 10,000 angel warriors to kill the bad guys, but then none of us would have been left standing.
At the cross, all human equations crumble. The barriers dissolve. And we receive a new mission. Because Jesus has risen from the dead, our success is guaranteed. Now we are no longer driven by fear, but it is Christ's love that compels us. We have new motivation for living, a new call, a new goal and a new way of getting there.
The old ways are exposed for what they are. In all their ugliness, they nailed Jesus to the cross. So, Paul says, "From now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"
A new creation
Jesus remakes us at the cross. We become part of his new creation. Nothing looks the same anymore. It changes the way we see our world. It changes how we see our friends. It changes how we see our enemies.
In the first three centuries of the Christian church it was common to lead new converts through a three-year process of learning before they were baptized and welcomed as members of the body of Christ. Candidates learned the stories of God, salvation history, the meaning of baptism and communion, and especially about the person of Jesus.
If a person was already in the military, they needed to promise not to kill. If a candidate joined the military, they were disqualified from baptism and could re-start the process of joining the church only if they renounced violence and left their army post. They needed to keep their allegiance clear.
Today, we also need to ask: How do we encourage each other to claim the new creation that is ours through Jesus?
As Paul reflects on the gift of new life in Christ, he gives credit where it belongs: "AM this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."
Ambassadors for Cod
God has begun a new movement, a work of peacemaking, healing and restoration. It is grounded in God's radical act of saving sinners, of reaching out to us in our rebellion, of Jesus laying down his life. By grace, we are adopted into the family of God. By grace, Jesus whispers his call to us, saying, "It's your turn to go out, now." This is our mission. Paul says, "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us"
Ambassadors do not represent them- . selves, but the one who sends them. They receive authority to act on another's behalf. Their words speak for our whole country. Their actions reflect on all Canadians. They are given a mission. They have authority, but they are not free to set their own agenda. They carry out the business of the government that sent them. If we belong to Jesus, then we are sent into the world as ambassadors of the kingdom of God, carrying the good news of peace.
How could I say not
So could I pursue this mission as a Legion chaplain?
As a chaplain:
* I could invite people to be reconciled with God and claim the new creation that is theirs through Jesus Christ
* I could take part in an honest remembering of the tragedy of war and invite Jesus to meet us in these memories.
* I could encourage Christ-like responses to conflict.
In many ways, it would simply be an extension of the pasturing that I already do. How could I say no?
Well, there is one snag. As a Legion chaplain, I would need to represent more than Jesus Christ and his church. I would also be one of the public faces of the Legion. The Legion is separate from the military, but it plays a role in our culture that goes beyond offering support to veterans.
At a typical Remembrance Day event, there are a cluster of public symbols that evokes a complex mix of emotions and responses. A military bugle plays the Last Post. Canadian flags wave. O Canada is sung. There is marching, saluting, gun replicas hoisted over the shoulder.
On their own, there is nothing wrong with these things. When I was in Jamaica this past winter and I saw the Canadian flag, it brought back warm memories of home. When the national anthem is played at a hockey game, I get a tingle of pride.
But as these symbols come together, they present a strong call to those gathered. In part, it is a call simply to take responsibility as a citizen of our country. But at a deeper level, they also issue a summons of allegiance. They call us to stake our faith and hope on a nationstate called Canada. They also imply that, if necessary, it is our duty to take up arms to defend our country.
As wonderful as Canada is, it cannot be our first priority. Jesus will tolerate no competition for our loyalty. In Christ, we are citizens of the kingdom of God before we are citizens of any nation on earth. That is why we do not have a national flag in our sanctuary.
As Christians, we believe that evil is conquered not through violence but through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The military does not believe that. It is also not the position of the Legion.
When Canadians talk about the significance of soldiers dying in warfare, there are certain phrases that usually crop up:
* "They died for us."
* "We owe our freedom to them."
* "They made the supreme sacrifice."
I understand the desire to believe that their deaths were not in vain, but this language treads on territory that belongs to Jesus alone. These phrases build up a myth that calls us to trust in the blood of soldiers rather than the blood of Jesus. It is true that both shed blood, but there are crucial differences:
* Jesus died for his enemies.
* Jesus leads us in the only war that truly will end all wars. But, as Paul says, it is not a battle "againstflesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in au the heavenly realms"
A line in the sand
I do not want there to be any confusion about which battle I am fighting. I do not want any confusion about who is my commander-in-chief or whose kingdom I am representing. So I have said no to the Legion's offer.
I have offered to assist the Legion at public events, to offer pastoral support and to take part in the funerals of veterans. I believe that I can pursue the mission of Jesus Christ in these settings. But I am not ready to join an organization that represents a different faith than I have. I believe that we can have a good relationship. I respect those who are involved in the Legion, but I want my allegiance to be plain before God and the world.
Your own derisions to make
I have spent quite a bit of time telling you about a decision I needed to make. You have your own set of decisions to make, situations that test your allegiance, and your faithfulness to the mission of Jesus. And you may see things differently than I do.
But the Bible gives us a number of anchor points, short summaries of the mission that God has given us. Paul wants to lead the Corinthian believers to a fuller understanding of Jesus and his mission, so he writes, "We make it our goal to please [Jesus].... For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive what is due them for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad"
We place our faith in a crucified Messiah-Jesus-whose body was broken for us. What does it mean to claim him as our master? Well, he is the one who gives us our marching orders. We have no greater authority than Jesus. And if we are marching to the beat of our risen Saviour, we are going to be out of step with the world. We take our cues from a Nazarene carpenter whom the world does not accept. At the very least, that means we should be prepared to make decisions that may seem odd to our neighbours.
Paul goes on: "Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade people"
Everybody fears something. Some fear going hungry. Some are afraid of what other people think of them. Only one fear frees us, though, and that is a fear of the Lord. Fear of Jesus breaks all other fear. It sounds strange to talk about fearing Jesus, since he is the one who loves us. He is the one who died for us. He is the one who became weak so we could be strong. He is the one who suffered so we could be healed. He is the one who took on hell so that we could receive heaven. If he is the one who receives our fear (by which the Bible means our ultimate respect), if he is the one who receives our honour, if we care about his opinion more than any other, then other fears are broken.
This changes our motivation, our reason for doing the things we do. Instead of fear, we are motivated by love to be his ambassadors and walk together in the gospel of peace-even in the Legion hall.
[Sidebar]
How would her fellow Legion members feel about having a chaplain who Is a pacifist?
[Sidebar]
The cross of Jesus changes everything. Here, by faith, we see the universe shift.
[Sidebar]
I do not want any confusion about who is my Commander-in-chief or whose kingdom I am representing.
[Sidebar]
For discussion
1. What experience have you had with the Royal Canadian Legion? Would you have the same concerns as Brent Kipfer in accepting a position as branch chaplain for the Legion? Do you think he made the right decision?
2. Do you wear a poppy for Remembrance Day? Why or why not? How important are symbols such as poppies, flags and national anthems? How much of a statement does wearing a poppy or singing the national anthem make?
3. Kipfer says his allegiance to Christ meant he was unable to accept the position of chaplain for the local Legion. What are some other situations where our allegiance to Christ means we are out of step with the broader society? Where are we tempted to split our allegiances?
4. Kipfer suggests that the language of sacrifice used to describe soldier deaths creates a myth that "calls us to trust in the blood of soldiers rather than the blood of Jesus." Do you agree? Are Mennonites tempted to buy into this myth? What should the church's attitude be towards the Canadian military?
[Author Affiliation]
BY BRENT KIPFER
Special to Canadian Mennonite
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