Of Citizenship and Sacrifice
I don't know much about Arthur Lee, but I consider him a Canadian hero. Arthur is the man who recently stepped in and bought Lt. Col. John McCrae's war medals when they became available for sale. Why did Arthur spend the $400,000, out of his own pocket, to purchase these historic medals and donate them to the National War Museum? Simple. He understood how important they were to the history of Canada! Or to put it another way-He knew how important it was to be Canadian! You see, when it was learned that these medals we're up for grabs, the Canadian Government decided that their budget couldn't handle the strain of purchasing these treasures for public display. Meanwhile, the Canadian public, when they heard that Lt. Col. McCrae's medals might be purchased and taken out of the country, went uncharacteristically ballistic. Seems that Canadians are just as patriotic as our neighbours to the South!
Perhaps you're not aware of who Lt. Col John McCrae was and why his memory is such a special one to our nation. Let me give you a bit of background*. Although McCrae had been a doctor for years and had served in the South African War, it was impossible for him to get used to the suffering in Ypres salient during the seventeen days he spent there in the First World War. The screams and the blood became an endless assault to his senses, but he continued on as a surgeon attached to the 1st Field Artillery Brigade. McCrae later wrote of his time there:
"I wish I could embody on paper some of the varied sensations of that seventeen days... Seventeen days of Hades! At the end of the first day if anyone had told us we had to spend seventeen days there, we would have folded our hands and said it could not have been done."
One death particularly affected McCrae. A young friend and former student, Lieut. Alexis Helmer of Ottawa, had been killed by a shell burst on 2 May, 1915. Lieutenant Helmer was buried later that day in the little cemetery outside McCrae's dressing station. McCrae had to perform the funeral ceremony himself, in the absence of the chaplain.
The next day, while sitting on the back of an ambulance parked near the dressing station beside the Canal de l'Yser, just a few hundred yards north of Ypres, McCrae vented his anguish by composing a poem.
In the nearby cemetery, McCrae could see the wild poppies that sprang up in the ditches in that part of Europe, and he spent twenty minutes of precious rest time scribbling some verses in a notebook. Dissatisfied with it, he tossed the poem away, but a fellow officer retrieved it and sent it to newspapers in England where it was published on the 8th of December, 1915. Here are the first two verses.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Since then, "In Flanders Field" has been read by countless numbers on "Remembrance Day" each year.** Thus, it has become synonymous with those Canadians who willingly gave their lives so that we in Canada could continue to experience the freedom we now enjoy.
In the past few years, people have wondered if "Remembrance Day" holds any real meaning to Canadians anymore because the images of war are so far removed from this generation. But the possibility of losing McCrae's medals has brought home to me the very real appreciation, and identification this country has with those who have sacrificed themselves for our benefit.
So, Arthur Lee, my fellow Canadian, thank you for keeping the memory alive, and for letting the entire nation know that Canada continues to be a place in which sacrifice for your country is still alive and well! Thanks also to all those men and women who have given their lives for those back home. We will continue to remember your sacrifice!
Points to Ponder
As much as I love Canada, I needed the jolt of possibly losing such a priceless treasure as McCrae's medals. I needed that jolt to remind me of how important my citizenship in this wonderful country really is. But, even more so, I recognize that as a Christian, I have a greater citizenship, a citizenship that I also need to be reminded of on a continuing basis. Paul in Philippians 3:20-21 says, "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."
Sometimes we need to be reminded of our heavenly citizenship because we're acting more like citizens of the world, than citizens of heaven. Furthermore, often we forget the cost of REAL freedom. That's why it's important for us to meet around the Lord's Table as often as we meet, so that the cost of freedom, which is the "Cross of Freedom" remains ever present in our thoughts and actions.
The question that came to mind when I first heard about Arthur Lee and his sacrifice of $400,000 for the nation was: "Would I have done the same?" To be honest, I really don't know. I guess I'd have to have more of the particulars before I could give an educated answer.
Once again, we're reminded that the bottom line to any sacrifice is, "How much do I value the object of my sacrifice." If we're talking about Sheila, John, David, or Graham, I wouldn't think twice about giving my life! If we're talking a sacrifice for the opportunity to munch down a few pounds of liver, we have an entirely different dynamic happening! So, here's the question: "How much do you value your relationship with Jesus?" Think about what you have sacrificed. Think about what you're willing to sacrifice. How you answer that question will help you to see what kind of priority you've placed upon your walk with our Lord.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for our new citizenship. Thank you that you have brought us out of the world and adopted us into your Kingdom. Lord, help us to realize the cost of our freedom! Our freedom cost the life, the pain, the blood of Jesus Christ, Your Son! Forgive us when we've forgotten the sacrifice of the One who went before us so that we could have full, lasting, eternal freedom and blessing! Lord, help us to value our relationship with You, our grace, our joy, even more than life itself! And, may we express it by giving You the sacrifice of our lives! Amen!
------------------------------* Information concerning McCrae originally taken from "Welcome to Flanders Fields", by Daniel G. Dancocks, McClelland and Stewart (Toronto, Canada),1988)
** Remembrance Day, November 11th is a day set aside in Canada to honour those who gave their lives in the service of their country.
