Grateful Living
ANZAC Day
I must stress that ANZAC Day is not, nor should it ever be, about glorifying war. ANZAC Day points to something greater.
As a veteran of Afghanistan, ANZAC day carries a great deal of personal significance. I remember being part of the 2011 ANZAC Day service in Kabul, where I was deployed at the time.
It was a truly moving experience. However, not all wartime experiences are positive. It's also important to point out that everyone in the Defence Force sacrifices immensely. Military service is typified by sacrifice.
I think it's important to remind ourselves that we are not romanticising or glorifying war or military service when we commemorate ANZAC Day. Sometimes our culture does have an unhealthy relationship with war, to the point of even worshipping killing and death. Instead of pretending their experiences are glorious, we should be truly and honestly admitting they experienced horror and hardship.
On April 25 we reflect and remember what countless people have done, and continue to do for us, and we honour and remember their sacrifice.
Why go to war?
Why do people put themselves through this?
I honestly think the best answer is “love”. Our mission in Afghanistan wasn't to fight as many of their people as possible, but to help remove a ruthless regime, so ordinary people could live in peace.
A sacrifice bigger than ANZAC
A self-sacrificial love for people, although central to the ANZAC ethos, was not invented by soldiers. In fact, it is a foundational element of the biblical message.
Jesus repeatedly tells us to love God, and therefore to love others. (John chapter 15, verse 13).
True love means putting other people first, putting their needs above your own and serving them, even if it is costly. Again, this is what the ANZACS, our war veterans, and service personnel embody, and this is why we honour them. Not because we agree with war on a political level, or because we think killing is romantic, but because of the love they showed for people, even to the point of death.
Finally, we see this in Jesus' actions. 1 John 3:16 tells us, 'This is how we know what love is.' Jesus laid down His life for us, so we ought to lay down our lives for others.
The gospel's core is this: Jesus loved God and people, so He willingly died for us. Humanity was separated from God due to sin and deserved punishment. Yet Jesus, the Son of God, loved us and therefore went into battle against sin, and was victorious by dying in our place. He sacrificed His life so that we could be saved and have a relationship and peace with God.
So, even as a veteran, I'm not pro-war. But I think, regardless of how you view “war”, we should be willing to honour those who lay down their lives. Even more so, we should honour and worship Jesus for the sacrifice He made in order to save believers.
Haydn’s job is to provide spiritual and pastoral care to Air Force members and their families.
Air Force Chaplain | Veteran | PhD Candidate – Studied at Malyon College. Recipient of the Baplink Graduate of Influence Award.
You can read the whole story here: A Christian Veteran Reflects
As a veteran of Afghanistan, ANZAC day carries a great deal of personal significance. I remember being part of the 2011 ANZAC Day service in Kabul, where I was deployed at the time.
It was a truly moving experience. However, not all wartime experiences are positive. It's also important to point out that everyone in the Defence Force sacrifices immensely. Military service is typified by sacrifice.
I think it's important to remind ourselves that we are not romanticising or glorifying war or military service when we commemorate ANZAC Day. Sometimes our culture does have an unhealthy relationship with war, to the point of even worshipping killing and death. Instead of pretending their experiences are glorious, we should be truly and honestly admitting they experienced horror and hardship.
On April 25 we reflect and remember what countless people have done, and continue to do for us, and we honour and remember their sacrifice.
Why go to war?
Why do people put themselves through this?
I honestly think the best answer is “love”. Our mission in Afghanistan wasn't to fight as many of their people as possible, but to help remove a ruthless regime, so ordinary people could live in peace.
A sacrifice bigger than ANZAC
A self-sacrificial love for people, although central to the ANZAC ethos, was not invented by soldiers. In fact, it is a foundational element of the biblical message.
Jesus repeatedly tells us to love God, and therefore to love others. (John chapter 15, verse 13).
True love means putting other people first, putting their needs above your own and serving them, even if it is costly. Again, this is what the ANZACS, our war veterans, and service personnel embody, and this is why we honour them. Not because we agree with war on a political level, or because we think killing is romantic, but because of the love they showed for people, even to the point of death.
Finally, we see this in Jesus' actions. 1 John 3:16 tells us, 'This is how we know what love is.' Jesus laid down His life for us, so we ought to lay down our lives for others.
The gospel's core is this: Jesus loved God and people, so He willingly died for us. Humanity was separated from God due to sin and deserved punishment. Yet Jesus, the Son of God, loved us and therefore went into battle against sin, and was victorious by dying in our place. He sacrificed His life so that we could be saved and have a relationship and peace with God.
So, even as a veteran, I'm not pro-war. But I think, regardless of how you view “war”, we should be willing to honour those who lay down their lives. Even more so, we should honour and worship Jesus for the sacrifice He made in order to save believers.
Haydn’s job is to provide spiritual and pastoral care to Air Force members and their families.
Air Force Chaplain | Veteran | PhD Candidate – Studied at Malyon College. Recipient of the Baplink Graduate of Influence Award.
You can read the whole story here: A Christian Veteran Reflects
Posted in Grateful Living