WAR COUNCIL - Chapter Four - No Greater Love

by Craig Ruhl

War Council is a work of fiction created by Craig Ruhl. This month we are pleased to present Chapter Four of War Council, No Greater Love. Look for continuing chapters in future issues. Craig’s bio appears at www.faithoneverycorner.com/meet-our-contributors.html War Council is copyrighted by Craig Ruhl 2020. All rights reserved.

My visits to the Millville diner became more and more frequent. I liked the people I had met at the diner, both employees and customers alike. A friendship was forming with the employees and with the small group of men, called The War Council who gathered at the enormous round table in the back of the diner. Winter had faded and now spring was in full bloom. The Easter celebration at the Methodist church was beautiful and uplifting, but now a memory. We were coming into a time of year I think of as a “patriotic” season, starting with Memorial Day in the last part of May and continuing through the Independence Day on July 4th. During this time of year, I am reminded of how grateful I am to be an American. Tori and my family trees have many ancestors who served our country. Both of us are proud and thankful, and especially so at this time of year.

Just past noon on a bright May afternoon, I parked in front of the Millville diner. As I was getting out of my car, I heard my name being called from across the parking lot. It was my recent new friend Gabriel Martin waving his hand and hurrying over to me.

“Skip, I’m glad that I caught up with you today,” he said. “If you are just coming in, I’d like to ask your opinion on something that the Lord has placed on my heart.”

“Sure, Gabriel, let’s sit down, get some coffee, and you can tell me about what’s on your heart,” I replied.

We seated ourselves at the round table where the men of the War Council met. On some days, men occupied most of the seats around the table, but today, it was just us, Gabriel and me. Kris, the server on duty, waved at us from behind the counter and then came over to the table carrying a coffee pot in one hand and a pitcher of water in the other. The diner staff had already set the table with silverware wrapped in paper napkins, water glasses, and coffee mugs in front of each seat. Menus were on the table next to the napkin holder and condiments. Kris filled our water glasses and poured us each a cup of coffee.

Kris smiled and said, “I’ll be right back with a pot of decaf for the guys just coming in.”

I looked up and noticed that Nick Turner, the used-car dealer, was just coming in the front door. With him was another man that I had not seen before. They made their way over to our table and before sitting down, Nick introduced the man to me. “Skip, I want you to meet Jonas Stevenson, another member of our group.”

As I stood to shake his hand, Nick continued, “Jonas, this is Skip Howland, the fellow I was telling you about.”

Jonas, smiling, said to me, “Nice to meet you, Skip, and welcome to our little group.”

“My pleasure,” I replied with a smile. “It is great to be meeting more of the men and I look forward to our new friendships.”

Kris came back to the table holding two pots of coffee, one regular and one labeled decaf. She filled two more mugs for Nick and Jonas from the decaf pot. From her apron pocket, she produced two little packages of honey. She smiled at Jonas and said, “Here you go, Jonas, here’s a little something to make you even sweeter!” He grinned and I think I even saw a bit of a blush on his cheeks as he stammered out, “Thanks, Kris.”

As Kris turned away to return to the counter area, I asked Gabriel, “So, what’s up? What has the Lord been saying to you?”

Gabriel looked at Nick and Jonas as he answered, “I was just telling Skip that the Lord placed something on my heart and I can’t get it out of my head. We will soon be in what I call the patriotic season. Memorial Day is on the last Monday in May and then Independence Day is on the 4th of July. The word placed on my heart is that we, as a group, should do something meaningful for the community during this season.”

“Isn’t there a parade, fireworks, or celebration during this time?” I questioned. “Those come to my mind when I think of the 4th of July.”

Gabriel agreed, shaking his head and saying, “Yes, but Memorial Day is about remembering those who sacrificed their lives in the defense of our country and our freedom. Many years ago, people referred to it as Decoration Day. Sometimes there is a parade, but I think of it as being more of a somber and reflective time. The reason we celebrate the day has been forgotten in society over the years, causing confusion about its true meaning.”

Jonas shared that he thought the distinction Gabriel had just mentioned had become somewhat blurred over the years and that the true meaning of each day was being lost with each passing generation.

Nick added, “The Town council organizes the 4th of July celebration, along with the chamber of commerce and a few of the local veteran groups. They always involve our families in various ways, some in the parade itself and others tending to the details of putting the entire thing on.”

Gabriel held his hand up, palm out. “I’m thinking we need to concentrate on Memorial Day,” he said. “How about we put our heads together and come up with a presentation that we can do at the local elementary, middle, and high schools? This would be an opportunity to pass on the knowledge and memories of the people that sacrificed everything so we can enjoy the freedom and liberty we have today.”

There were a few moments of silence while we all thought about what Gabriel had just said. I broke the quiet saying, “We have a wonderful opportunity to affect the minds and hearts of our youth by doing what Gabriel has suggested. Before we get too far into the planning and executing part of this project, I want us to take it to the Lord in prayer.”

There was unanimous agreement among the gathered group. We bowed our heads and joined hands across the table.

I prayed, “Heavenly Father, you have placed a matter on Gabriel’s heart and he has shared it with us at this table. We ask that you provide us with discernment and wisdom as we go about doing your work. Gift us with the words and guide our talents and actions to share memories of those who have gone before us, giving up their lives so that many others may live in freedom. Lord guide our thoughts, words, and deeds to always reflect your will and not our own. We are grateful that we have the freedom to worship you and to spread the Good News of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Jonas spoke first, “I am reminded of the verse in John 3:16 that says, ‘For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.’”

Gabriel added, “My favorite verse when I think of Memorial Day is from John 15:13, ‘There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’”

Nick added, “My friends, we’ve been able to steward for the Lord’s kingdom through the passing-on of our Christian values, ideals, and traditions to future generations.”

A chorus of “Amen” echoed around the table. I even heard our server, Kris, repeat it. She must have been able to overhear our conversation and prayer from across the diner.

During the month of April, several planning meetings took place at the round table in Millville Diner. By the first week of May, the men of the War Council had designed a simple brochure explaining what Memorial Day was all about. I took part at several of these meetings, during which I met three other men belonging to the group. I had now met nine men so far and I was very much enjoying the relationships being forged.

Ben Tiller, being the principal of the high school, planned for each of the three schools to hold assemblies for our group to do brief presentations and pass out our new brochures to the teachers and students. During the third week of May, we did presentations at the schools, handing out over 300 brochures. Inside each brochure was a folded paper with an American flag background and a list of all the known names of men and women from Millville who had given their lives in war-time service to our country. Since the town of Millville dates from the mid-1700s, the list includes names from the Revolutionary War up to and including the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

All the school presentations went off without a hitch. Each school made a large effort in promoting their event, which attracted parents and relatives of the students to attend. Two men from the War Council stood at each podium and gave a brief talk about the origin of Memorial Day, explained its meaning, and offered suggestions on how the children and their families could take part in paying respect and honor to our fallen heroes. The last page of our brochure included directions to the nearby National Cemetery where a person or family could visit and pay their respects. As everyone filed out of the assemblies, our men handed out small flags mounted on sticks to display at each person’s home. The most often heard remark at the end of event was, “God Bless America!”