To Our veterans, heartfelt gratitude

There’s a crispness to the air as we come together for this week’s Blog.  I’m Lee Harder, senior pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Bulverde, Texas.  I hope you join us today and every week for these few minutes.  Better yet, if you’re in the neighborhood of the Red Roof Church off highways 1863 and 281 this Sunday morning, join us for worship at 8:30am or 10:45 am.  We welcome all sinners into the presence of God’s Word.
The election is over  —  thank goodness.  Thanksgiving is close at hand, but there’s still time so we don’t have to panic yet.  And despite advertising to the contrary, Christmas is still over a month away.  (Yeah, I better start getting the decorations out.)  However, right now, I want to emphasize Sunday, November 11th which is a very special day.  Sadly, it often goes unnoticed, unmarked and unappreciated except for those it touches directly.   Veteran’s Day, the day we honor all our military veterans.
It is a day to honor and respect those men and women who have served in the armed forces of our nation to keep our country and, yes, the world safe.  In truth, these brave and courageous people should be honored and remembered everyday and not just one.  The price they pay is a high one because it impacts them personally for the rest of their lives and their loved ones, too.  It’s not only the veterans who served that pay the price of their honored duty, it is their families who serve right along with them with the separation, worry and fear.
I come to you this week with one thought.  If you see this vlog and Sunday lies before you, take a moment and pray a prayer of gratitude to God for their sacrifice.  If you see this blog on our web page, then, take time (whatever else you’re doing can wait) and pray for our veterans that they be comforted from any pain they are challenged by, receive peace from God for the dreams, nightmares, and anguish that may overshadow them and that we are forever grateful as a nation for their service.
I thank you, Lord, for such committed people.
God bless you and God bless our men and women veterans and those who serve our country now.  Keep them safe.
And those are my thoughts. 
Pastor Lee