A Lesson from Normandy

An item this morning on MSNBC told the story of what made the difference on June 6, 1944. President-elect John F. Kennedy asked outgoing President Eisenhower what had made all the difference in the invasion of Normandy. Eisenhower, who as supreme commander had led the invasion, told Kennedy, “Because we had better meteorologists than the Germans.” That’s right, a small group of British weather forecasters had made all the difference in 1944. (Perhaps it’s worth noting that in 1954 when the first 10-year commemoration of the invasion took place, Eisenhower, who by then was President of the United States, chose to stay home. He wanted the focus to be on the veterans, not himself – which of course would have happened if he, the President and Allied Commander, had gone. What a difference from today’s presidents and world leaders who showed up at today’s commemorations and drew all attention to themselves. It says something about today’s leaders and the real leaders of the past.)

The invasion was originally scheduled for June 4-5, but the weather forecasters warned of a storm and fog that would have resulted in catastrophe for the Allied troops. So the invasion was postponed to June 6th. Meanwhile, the Germans relied on their own forecasts and saw another storm coming in over the Atlantic that they thought would prevent an invasion. So confident were they that the invasion would not take place that Rommel had gone back to Germany to celebrate his wife’s birthday! The invasion took place and the rest is history. Rightly did one commentator call June 6, 1944, the most important day in the history of the 20th century. But a few weather forecasters made the difference and ensured the success of the heroes who died that day on the beach at Normandy. God bless them and those who survived and went on to win the war against tyranny and evil.

You are never too small to contribute to a great good. Every one of us is essential to the continuing viability and survival of our church. I certainly don’t want to indulge in hyperbole, and I don’t want to equate the mission of our church to the mission of June 6, 1944. But our church is essential to the spiritual struggle in our city and in every city on the planet. This spiritual struggle – or war, more accurately called – takes place behind the scenes in the spiritual realm, invisible to the eyes of media and bystanders. We might not pack them in on Sunday the way so-called megachurches pack them in, but we and every church that worships God and not human egos are part and center to what God aims for our city and every city. Every one of us is important. Every one of us has a role to play, and none of us is less important than others. The lesson of Normandy is just as important for churches as it is for every war and every fight against evil and injustice. We are here to be God’s messengers against all forces of evil, hatred, prejudice and injustice. We are here to bring God’s message of life and life in abundance for all humans, for all animals, for our planet.

Don’t be a bystander. Liturgy is the means by which we get our first glimpses of the spiritual war that is taking place behind the scenes. Liturgy opens our spiritual eyes so we can see behind human hypocrisy. Churches often are nothing more than ego factories and celebrity cults. There were no celebrities or egos on June 6, 1944, and we are forever indebted to the heroes who died on the beaches of Normandy and to those who survived the invasion and fought on to achieve the destruction of Hitler and his armies of hatred.