This is a service that the Worldwide Church of God has suggested that local congregations do.
The idea was originated by the Mission America Coalition, of which the WCG is a member.

The Mission America Coalition urges every church in America to plan and conduct a meaningful Honor our Heroes service during this calendar year.

So, NewLife Fellowship joins with thousands of churches around the country in honoring our local heroes and the greatest hero of all Jesus Christ.

Suggested dates are Memorial Day, near the Fourth of July, or near Veteran’s day.

We have chosen a date near the Fourth of July, which comes up next Friday.

The purpose of the event is to provide an opportunity to give honor to whom honor is due (Romans 13:7).

“Pay to all what is due them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.”

I’d like to begin by giving you an outline of the service.

• We will use testimonials to honor
• War veterans
• Military personnel in peace time
• A member who serves in the medical profession
• How all of us can be heroes to one another
• Jesus Christ—our ultimate hero.

For 233 years, since the Boston Massacre in 1770, many men and women have given their lives so that we might enjoy the freedoms that God has given us.

The British killed five men died in the Boston Massacre, including Crispus Attucks, a black man, reported to be leader of the group.

Katharine Lee Bates, who wrote in the poem that became the song “America the Beautiful,” expressed well heroes that would give their lives that others may live.

“O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!”

Not all heroes are famous people or people who put their lives at risk; some are quiet heroes who give inspiration to private individuals.

Each person is inspired by people in his or her life who might not be known to others.

Our world is a better place because of their noble service and acts of character and courage.

Leading up to our first speaker, I would like to mention some of the wars that the United States has gone through and the number of people killed.

Revolutionary War
• Battle deaths 6,824
• Other deaths 18,500
• Total 25,324

We will now hear a popular song from the Revolutionary War--Yankee Doodle

My great-great-great-great grandfather, John Hanson, served during the Revolutionary War from 1776 to 1779.

George Washington, our first president, said, apparently during his first inaugural address in 1789: "It would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe."

Washington continued: "No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of Providential agency."

John Adams, our second president said: “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

We see the fruit of this today as those who have cast off Christianity use the Constitution to justify their indecent acts.

Thomas Jefferson, our third president, said: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time by the blood of tyrants and patriots.”

Our Founding Fathers called for a day of fasting and prayer during the Revolutionary War, and this year during Operation Iraqi Freedom, the House approved, 346-49 with 23 "present," a resolution calling for a national day of prayer and fasting.

It puzzles me that some could vote against such a measure or give it such tepid support to vote “present.”

The House version urged citizens "to seek guidance from God to achieve a greater understanding of our own failings and to learn how we can do better in our everyday activities, and to gain resolve in meeting the challenges that confront our nation."

Speaking in commemoration of the 2003 National Day of Prayer, President Bush observed: "The Scriptures say: the Lord is near to all who call on him. Calling on God in prayer brings us nearer to each other. ...Prayer can lead to a grateful heart, turning our minds to all the gifts of life and to the great works of God.

“Prayer can also contribute to the life of our nation. America is a strong nation, in part because we know the limits of human strength. All strength must be guided
by wisdom and justice and humility.

“We pray that God will grant us that wisdom, that sense of justice and that humility in our current challenges, and in the years ahead.

“I thank you all for helping to keep prayer an integral part of our national life.”

Moving on to War of 1812: 2,260 battle deaths.

My great-great-great grandfather Conrad Hanson was with General Andrew Jackson in the battle of New Orleans in 1815, which unfortunately was fought after the war ended, but word had not gotten to New Orleans.

Civil War Union battle deaths 140,414
Confederate battle deaths 74,524

Sad situation where brothers fought brothers and Christians fought Christians.

This brings to mind the saying, “War never solved anything—except slavery, Nazism and communism.”

My great-great grandfather John Hanson enlisted during the Civil War.

Spanish-American War
• 385 battle deaths
• This is when the US took control of the Philippines

World War 1
• 53,513 battle deaths—my Grandfather, Samuel Carleton Hanson, fought in World War 1. Here are some German binoculars he brought home from that war.

World War 2
• 292,131 battle deaths
• 115,185 other
• 407,316 total

President Reagan said on the 40th anniversary of D-Day: "We stand today at a place of battle, one that 40 years ago saw and felt the worst of war. Men bled and died here for a few feet of -- or inches of -- sand, as bullets and shellfire cut through their ranks. About them, General Omar Bradley later said, 'Every man who set foot on Omaha Beach that day was a hero.'

For some people, who lost husbands or brothers, the pain of this war continues.

Tina’s mother and father in law lived through the Japanese occupation of Manila during World War 2.

Near the end of the war, Tina’s mom successfully begged the Japanese not to kill her father as it looked like he was dying anyway.

My father was drafted into the US Navy in January of 1945. Though the war in Europe was drawing to a close, he said there was no end in sight to the war in the Pacific.

However, two atomic bombs in August brought the war to a speedy conclusion. If it were not for those bombs, we would have lost tens of thousands of men capturing Japan.

It is quite possible that if those bombs had not been dropped, my father may have been killed and I and my descendants may never have lived.

I saw something on television the other day about the Berlin Airlift in 1948-49. At that time Soviet dictator Josef Stalin tried to cut off West Berlin to drive the Allies out.

We responded by a massive airlift of food and supplies to the Berliners.

Talk about loving your enemies. Just a few years earlier, they were trying to kill us.

Korean War
• 33,629 battle
• 20,617 other
• 54,246 total

So often in our wars, we have freed people whom we don’t know from oppression.

We entered Korea after the Communists invaded from the North.

South Korea went on to see Christianity thrive, while in the North, professing Christ can mean torture and death – even at this exact minute.

So we and the people of South Korea have much to thank our first speaker and others like him.

Our next speaker served two years in the Air Force and eight years in the Army.

To thank him and the more than 54,000 men who did not return, please rise to honor, Private Paul Sniffen.

Vietnam
• 47,356 Battle deaths
• 10,795 Other
• 58,151 total

I am very thankful that when I turned 19 years old in 1974 the draft was winding down and I did not have to go.

One of the reasons I like honoring people in the military is that they did something I would not have had the courage to do.

It is fitting too that we honor those who served in the military in time of peace.

Our next speaker served five years of active duty in the Navy and two years in the Reserves. He left the Navy after the first Gulf War as a second class petty officer.

Please rise and honor Jaime Ferrer.

HAVE ALL MILITARY and law enforcement STAND AND SAY WHEN THEY SERVED

Jaime’s service as a medic in the military helps us to transition to our next speaker, who serves in the medical profession as a licensed vocational nurse at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach.

Please rise and honor—John Neypes

We are called upon to be heroes to one another

Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, will all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts toward God.”

We can greatly help each other by our words and interactions.

A kind word from an adult or child can be so meaningful. I was impressed a couple of weeks ago when one of our children went out of her way to wish my wife a Happy Birthday. Thank you Holli Coleman.

Paul tells us to bear one another’s burdens in Galatians 6:1-2:

“Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to [himself] yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

And finally, Jesus our ultimate hero.

Philippians 2:5-9: Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name.

It is amazing to me that the almighty and all powerful God, who was supremely happy and not lonely, decided to create us, knowing full well that Adam would choose the path of sin and that He would have to be crucified to save us.

We worship a suffering God, who chose to suffer. He did not have to suffer.

Heb 12:1-3: Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us [this is just after the faith chapter], let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Christ is a hero because he loves us.

He provides for the basic physical needs of all people regardless if they are evil, enemies and unthankful.

Matt 5:44, 45: But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous

He is a hero because he forgives us and we are called upon to do the same for others.

Ephesians 4:32 and 5:1: Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God is Christ also has forgiven you. . . Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.”

We are to forgive others as Christ has forgiven us – freely, fully, eternally, because of Christ.

We look forward to the time when the Lord Jesus Christ will return in power and glory.

Rev 19:11: And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.

Isaiah 2:4: And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples. And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war.

War is necessary in this age and we must defend ourselves and defeat tyrants, yet war will not be a part of the age to come.

Ernie Pyle, the great war correspondent from World War 2, dedicated one of his books to those soldiers “to whom their will be no homecoming again forever.”

Pyle himself died during that war.

Yet, as Christians, we have more hope than Ernie Pyle expressed. We can rejoice that Christ will resurrect those who died in faith on the battlefield.

President Bush alluded to this May 2 in his speech ABOARD THE USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN

We are mindful as well that some good men and women are not making the journey home. Every name, every life, is a loss to our military, to our nation, and to loved ones who grieve. There is no homecoming for these families.

Yet we pray, in God's time, their reunion will come. Those we lost were last seen on duty. Their final act on this earth was to fight a great evil, and bring liberty to others.

All of you -- all in this generation of our military -- have taken up the highest calling of history. You are defending your country, and protecting the innocent from harm.

And wherever you go, you carry a message of hope, a message that is ancient, and ever new. In the words of the prophet Isaiah:

"To the captives, 'Come out,' and to those in darkness, 'Be free.'"

“Thank you for serving our country and our cause.”