16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” – Genesis 9:16-17
Golden Anniversary
Today we joined in the celebration of the 50th anniversary of my wife’s maternal aunt (Mary Ann) and uncle (Jim). The celebration was special on many accounts. First of all, fifty years of marriage represents some degree of longevity. With couples increasingly choosing to delay marriage, reaching the golden anniversary may become more difficult. Secondly, with skyrocketing divorce rates, witnessing fifty years of commitment to one spouse may become more and more rare. I recognize that with a population that is growing exponentially statistics will dictate that we will continue to see more golden anniversaries, but they will always be special. Marriage between a man and a woman was God’s idea. And so is being true to our word.
Perhaps the thing that made today’s celebration the most special, is that the wedding almost did not take place. While Jim and Mary Ann were deeply in love and committed to one another, Mary Ann had to share Jim with Uncle Sam and the Vietnam war. Not wanting to risk making Mary Ann a young widow, the two decided to wait until Uncle Sam was done with Jim before they would get married. On May 22nd 1967, Jim departed for Vietnam. As he said his good-byes to Mary Ann and the others, he did not know if he would see them again on this side of eternity. With tears in her eyes, Mary Ann watched and waved until Jim’s plane was enveloped by clouds. Little could they have known what storms were hiding behind the clouds.
Missing Letters
As sweethearts, Jim and Mary Ann were prolific letter writers. In fact, as soon as Jim landed in San Francisco he wrote Mary Ann a letter promising he would return from the war and make her his wife. The task before him had to be done, so it might as well be done with a positive outlook. They agreed that they would get through each day by looking forward to their wedding. Until that day, letters would have to suffice.
Jim wrote Mary Ann a letter dated June 18th, 1967. It was written a day after a patrol in the Rung Sat region. In the letter Jim told Mary Ann that the following day would begin a six day mission. The letter also mentioned the casualties Jim had witnessed on his first mission, as well as his aspirations for a “formal” engagement. As he had mentioned previously, it would be the hope of the future bliss of marriage that would help them to endure the current realities of war. In his postscript Jim affirmed his love for Mary Ann and promised to shower her with it when he returned. It was the last letter Mary Ann would receive until July 2nd, her 21th birthday.
Bullets & A Chaplain
On the first day of the mentioned six day mission, Jim’s division (Charlie Company) took heavy casualties. Crossing a rice field, they came under heavy fire from well entrenched Viet Cong’s. While crawling on his stomach seeking cover from a fallen comrade, a bullet hit Jim’s left hand and ricocheted up entering his chest and exiting above his right hip. Was Jim going to be another casualty? He was completely exposed to the intense fire of the enemy. As his lifeblood was mixing with the Vietnam mud his future plans seemed to be nothing more than a fading hope. But Jim had a cover his eyes could not behold.
By “chance”, Charlie Company had a special guest in the field, Chaplain Windmiller. Bernard Windmiller was a civilian minister called up to active duty in 1966. As a chaplain, he carried no other weapon than his faith. His job was to look after the moral and religious needs of “the boys”. As Jim lay bleeding in the middle of the rice field, Chaplain Windmiller, under heavy gunfire, made his way to Jim. For an hour he lay next to him, bandaged him, and encouraged him by reminding him of the presence of God. The entire time the enemy was sending bullets over them.
Medals & Rings
Chaplain Windmiller would stay by Jim’s side until a Med Evac chopper was finally able to take him out of the battlefield. For Jim, the war was over. Many more would be killed on Vietnamese soil, but Jim would not be numbered with them. Instead, he was safely flown to Saigon and attended to. When he was well enough he wrote to his future bride and detailed the events of his mission and the extent of his injuries.
From a Viet Cong bullet, Jim’s body was scarred from his war experience. From his Government, Jim would receive a Purple Heart for his scars. Reminders of the realities of war and the consequences of sin. But Mary Ann was back home awaiting his arrival. He promised he would return and marry her, and God allowed him to fulfill his promise. While the purple heart would be displayed on a shelf, Jim was finally able to place a ring on Mary Ann’s finger. The rainbow followed the storm.
Arks & Rain
In Genesis chapter six, we see the first Biblical record of the word Covenant. The Bible tells us that God has seen enough violence. Sin is out of control. God goes to righteous Noah and instructs him to make an ark. God is going to flood the earth and destroy the evil that is corrupting it. Everything that is not safely in the ark will be killed, but God promises Noah He will establish a covenant with him.
After one hundred and twenty years of construction, the ark is finished and filled with “clean” animals. After God closed the doors of the ark, the flood waters came. The wrath of God was meted out against sin. As Genesis records, God blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the earth, except for Noah and those that were with him. Without the refuge of an ark, one can only tread water for so long. But for the righteous, God will always provide an ark.
Rainbows & Covenants
In time the floodwaters would subside, and Noah, his family, and the clean animals would exit the ark. Noah built an altar to the Lord and offered a burnt offering to God. The offering was pleasing to God and God established the promised covenant with Noah and every living creature. Despite man’s sinfulness, God promised Noah he would never again destroy the earth with a flood. As a sign of His covenant, God set His bow in the cloud. Whenever the rainbow is in the sky, we are reminded of God’s covenant promise. He will not go back on His Word. He cannot go back on His Word.
The covenant God made after the flood would be followed by others. Covenants that are accompanied with signs, and guaranteed with seals. Covenants that we can place our faith in because of God’s character. Covenants we can bank on because God keeps His Word. Covenants that remind us of the sanctity of the marriage covenant and the weight of our words when we say “I do”!
Storms
I have never crawled across a rice field in a foreign land. I have never been shot at much less shot in the chest. I don’t know what it is like to be confined in an ark while the rest of civilization is literally drowning around me. While I can’t relate to these specific experiences, I do know one thing, there will always be battles to fight, and there will always be storms on the horizon. But as Jim learned as he was bleeding in the rice field, God never abandons us. In Christ, we always have cover.
In his book, The Greatest Generation, Tom Brokaw interviewed numerous World War II vets. When asked about his concerns regarding the current generation, one wise vet made this comment, ” The problem today is people don’t know how to fight”. We are a generation of quitters! We are a generation of runners! We don’t understand the true value of the things we should be fighting for. Marriage can be difficult, but it is worth the fight!! The storms will come, but the rainbow will follow. You have God’s Word on it.
Rings
“For better of for worse.” “Till death do us part.” That ring on your finger is a sign of a covenant you have made before witnesses. A sign of a covenant you have made before God. You may feel stranded in an open field under enemy fire, but don’t give up. God wants you to fulfill your vows. God has enabled you to do so. As a Child of God you are covered by the blood of Christ and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. As a child of the New Covenant, your Faith is the only weapon you need.
I don’t know if my wife and I will see our Golden Anniversary, only God does. But I do know that we are each committed to the covenant we made when we exchanged rings nearly thirty four years ago. We have been through our storms together, and I am sure we will encounter more, but we have resolved to honor our marriage covenant no matter what comes our way. The rainbow is our reminder that God will never go back on His Word. Our rings on our fingers remind us that we never should either.
I believe we will never truly appreciate weddings and anniversaries until we grasp the significance of Covenants and our Covenant keeping God. Which made today such a special day.
God willing, I hope my wife and I can celebrate our Golden Anniversary some day. Celebrating not just our love and commitment to one another, but giving glory to our faithful God who puts the rainbow in the clouds after a storm.