ANZAC Day
Categories : Australia |
11:55pm last night and I was in theatre at the hospital for a Caesarean section, and the soon-to-be father was saying “wait five more minutes and it can be an ANZAC baby.” Such is the importance of ANZAC day in Australia - the most important national holiday in which many of us stop to reflect on how lucky we are living here, and more importantly to remember the sacrificies made to make our country what it is today.
Rather than post at length about this special day, let me direct you to a couple of people who have covered it better than I ever could.
Firstly Craig at These Infinite Spaces has changed from his usual single line linkage style of posting to a full and detailed post on ANZAC, and I’m glad he did - read it here.
Secondly here is a touching email I received this morning from one of our church leaders, looking at ANZAC day from a personal and Christian perspective…
I have just spent the last hour watching the Anzac Dawn Service on TV. For much of the time I was sitting here with tears running down my cheeks, as I shared the emotion of remembering what others have done for me.
I didn’t have any close relations that died in a war. I was one of the lucky ones whose father served and survived. In fact as a youngster although I always attended Anzac Services, it didn’t have a major impact on me.
My earliest real memories of war in this world, was during my school days when Australia decided to support the war in Vietnam. Many young men that I knew were conscripted into the Army. When I was 19, I had to register for the draft that decided who would be conscripted, which was like a lottery and the numbers drawn were the dates you were to turn just 20 years old. My marble didn’t come out of the barrel, but many of my school mates and friends did get the call to serve our country. My older brother was a career Air Force Air Frame Fitter and he was also posted there and whilst he was in a support capacity, he still experienced the real horror of war.
During the years of the war and over the next decade, we were constantly confronted with not just the reality of knowing people that lost their lives, but people who had seen and experienced things that would change them for ever. The night dreams, depression, stress and changed personalities were evident in many lives, and sometimes I would think that those that didn’t return were better off than those that did. It was at this stage of my life that I began to really appreciate what Anzac Day was all about. As I remembered not lost family, but the many other people that sacrificed so much so I could be free and live in a democratic country. I remember not just those that died, but also those that bore the effect of the experience. Those that carried the emotional and physical scars of ongoing warfare, including the members of our church who even today are serving in our Armed Services , upholding the principles of those that have gone before.
It makes me proud to be an Australian, even though it is my adopted country, but it also makes me think of people of all nations that have been, and are now, prepared to sacrifice so that we can live a life free of oppression and terror, in a land of opportunity. It is then that my mind turns to the question of freedom in this world of a physical significance, to freedom for eternity in a spiritual reality. My appreciation for what Jesus did for me by also sacrificing himself, so that I could be free, just lifts me emotionally to the point where I think that we should all be prepared to do “whatever it takes” to engage in the spiritual battle that is going on every day. I think of the Salvation Army and their call to wear the uniform of God, but even more so the call for us to put on the armour of God, to go into battle and fight the good fight, because Jesus died for everyone, and once we accept Jesus as our Lord we are called to serve him 24/7. God has given us the armoury for protection, and the weapons for victory, and the “Mateship” of Christians everywhere, to prepare us for this battle. My prayer for each of us this Anzac Day, is that we remember and respect those that have battled and sacrificed for our physical safety, but that we will also be motivated and encouraged to serve our Saviour, in whatever way God directs us.
God bless you as you consider these thoughts.
