This week marked the second annual celebration of Veterans Day at Friends with middle school and elementary chapels designed to honor our service men and women. Veterans Day serves as the perfect opportunity for our school to remind our students about the essential role our nation’s military has played in securing our freedom and liberty while serving as a beacon of hope to our friends and allies.
The message of Veterans Day is particularly relevant coming on the heels of national elections and just before Thanksgiving. While lessons around service are always important, they take on special meaning when they’re delivered at this time of year.
In Romans 13:7, Paul writes that we are to “give honor to whom honor is owed” and it is worth noting that soldiers are often the focus of honor throughout the Bible. In the gospels and Acts alone, we have the story of the centurion from Capernaum (Mark 7) whose faith heals his servant and causes Jesus to commend him. In Acts 21 & 22, Paul’s life is saved by a commander of the Roman guards and then the actions of a centurion keep him from being flogged. In Acts 23, we read that this same commander (with the help of two centurions) secretly moves Paul out of the city to protect him. In Acts 27, Paul’s life is spared once again during the aftermath of a shipwreck when a centurion stops his men from killing Paul and other prisoners to keep them from escaping. Finally, the most famous centurion of the New Testament (Cornelius) leads his entire household to salvation by becoming the first gentiles to be baptized (Acts 10).
In recent years, it has been encouraging to see our country become more concerned with the well being of our service members and much more intentional about showing our gratitude as a nation. To our veterans, we want to say Thank You and God Bless You for your service. It is our intention to make our Veterans Day celebrations a distinctive feature of Friends Christian School and we are honored to have you as part of our community.
With Gratitude,
Todd Perkins
Head of School