That they may all be one - Veterans’ Day 2018 - John 17 - Rev. Alida Ward

Sep 7, 2026

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Veterans’ Day 2018 sermon presents a congregation’s photo-sharing effort as a narrative of service and belonging. Speakers recount families arriving with portraits of relatives from multiple wars and roles, each picture linking past lives to what service shaped afterward. The message emphasizes unity beyond political difference, arguing that commitment, sacrifice, and purpose bind people together despite varied backgrounds and experiences. A Maya Angelou poem is introduced to underscore shared humanity within visible differences.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

That they may all be one

Veterans’ Day 2018 photo stories

Unity beyond difference in election week

Maya Angelou’s poem: Human Family

That they may all be one Veterans’ Day 2018 John 17 Rev. Alida Ward Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story. When David put out the word to the congregation that we’d like some photographs of veterans to grace our Sanctuary today, we had no idea what was to come. This is what happened: over the past three weeks at the church office, there has been a steady stream of people, our church family, carrying pictures. And telling us stories. “This is my grandfather--he served in both World Wars.” “This is my uncle--he was a test pilot.” “These are my nephews, this is my son. All of them chose to serve.” “This is me--can you believe it? I looked good in uniform, didn’t I?” “This is my father--he looks so young, doesn’t he? Too young to see what he had to see.” “This is my husband, in the Navy--just before I met him.” And here there are now, our church family veterans – there are 49 families represented up here, and of course we know there are more among you-- we know there are pictures on your mantelpieces right now, pictures on your bureaus and nightstands, all of the veterans that you cherish, that we cherish. And every picture tells a story. There’s Dr. Tom Kennedy up here, 30 years old, fresh from medical training and serving as a Navy physician at Camp Lejeune-- years before he touched thousands of lives as Chief of Pediatrics at Bridgeport. Bob Evans’ brothers are up here, World War II veterans, the both of them--Jack in the Navy, Frank the Army-- and Bob’s son, nephews and daughter-in-law are here, too--an extraordinary legacy of service in one family. There’s Barbara Barry’s Uncle Fred, he’s the test pilot I mentioned-- and it was flying that claimed his life at age 24. There’s our dear friend Michael Fitzpatrick, whom we lost just weeks ago--handsome in his Marine uniform. And John Beeton, Diana’s husband, whose wry humor and sharp mind made him someone I sure was glad to know. Marcia Carothers’ father, Tom Weigand, is here And maybe I’m just being fanciful, but looking at his friendly face, I swear I can see the look of the pastor he became-- a beloved Methodist minister who preached from this pulpit more than once. And I’m trying to figure out the correlation between being in the armed forces and becoming a Greenfield Hill Church usher-- because I am struck by how many of our ushers are up here--Joyce Bultman, Jack Barry, Bob Evans, Chuck Collison, and more. From one form of service, I guess, to another. Over these past weeks, we’ve received these pictures in the office with smiles, and tears—and with the telling of stories. Because every picture does tell a story. A story of the people they were then, of what they were to become--of the lives they lived-- long and wonderful, or too soon gone from us. And as different as all their stories were, and are--there is a unifying theme, a common thread. Of course there is. And that is that each one of these men and women served, served proudly, served the country they loved, served us. Each one of them knew--knows--that there is something greater than self, a story greater than our individual stories. They know, these faces here, that there is something that binds us alltogether, worth fighting for, worth cherishing, worth giving all for. The faces that you see before you are diverse in background, differing in the lives they led and lead and chose, but in their difference is this unity: a commitment to service beyond self, sacrifice beyond measure. These faces before you differ in much, but in this they differ not at all. In this there is unity. It’s been an election week in this country, as perhaps you noticed. So unity has not really been our theme, particularly; it’s difference we’ve been focused on. On each street in town were dueling lawn signs, our mailboxes were stuffed with flyers that said “she’s great, but her--not so much,” or “

FAQs

Why did the congregation ask for photographs of veterans, and what happened next?

The congregation requested veteran photos to display in the sanctuary, and over weeks people brought pictures and shared the stories behind them.

What theme does the sermon identify in the veterans’ stories?

Despite differences in backgrounds and experiences, the sermon presents a unifying theme of service beyond self, sacrifice, and a shared bond worth cherishing.

How does the sermon connect election week politics to its message of unity?

It contrasts the nation’s focus on differences during an election with the sermon’s emphasis on unity of spirit, purpose, and service visible in the photographs.

Sep 7, 2026

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