A trip Glenda and I recently took down to Salem for a look at the capitol gave me some thoughts for this article. If you have not been, we highly recommend it. Allow yourself at least three hours so you have time to take the tour of the capitol building and the grounds. Bring a picnic and spend some time in the mall (not a shopping mall kids) across the street from the capitol. It has a sidewalk with markers which describe interesting historical Oregon events. This is enlightening even if you are not a student of Oregon history.
One of the most interesting exhibits is situated on either side of the entrance to the Capitol building. There are 8 pedestals, 16 in all, with the names and citations for Medal of Honor winners from Oregon. I spent time reading the citations describing the heroic deeds of the servicemen.
Think of the sacrifices those men made without regard for their own welfare. It is sad that most Medal of Honor recipients receive the medal posthumously. There are very few heroes who live through their conflict and learn of their award. Those heroes were probably average soldiers who expected to be alive when the battle ended. If they knew what awaited them, would they have gone forward? I am sure not one of these heroes ever thinks about a medal when they decide to put their life on the line for their comrades in arms. They make their decision without an eye toward their future.
As Americans how often do we think of our war heroes? Their names are engraved on headstones in military cemeteries around the world and in the hearts of their families. Time generally eases our loss by moving them to the back of our minds. The Medal is a creation of men awarded by men. I believe these heroes received their true reward from God even though they did not know their actions would lead to their death.
Mark speaks often of Jesus’ death on the cross. As the Son of God he could have decided not to save mankind. Unlike the Medal of Honor winners, Jesus was a man of peace who knew that his reward was the Kingdom of Heaven. He also knew of the extremely painful death that would await him and yet he went ahead.
Thankfully, because Christ’s birth, death and resurrection were foretold to us in the Old Testament, His story is repeated each Sunday. That Word is given to us so that we should always remember Christ the Savior. I believe we are all heroes in Christ’s eyes every time we decide to comfort the sick, help the poor and give rest to the weary; even when we may feel discomfort. The cross was a creation of man forced upon Jesus. Our reward will be His creation. Let us all decide to be heroes in 2010.
Let’s All Pray For Each Other,
Larry Day
Elder