Friday Night Theology

Service and Sacrifice

12 November 2009

Since September 11th 2001, Afghanistan has rarely been out of the news. Not surprisingly, this week the combination of Remembrance Day, the return of the bodies of 6 soldiers to Wooton Basset and grieving Mother Jacqui Janes' confrontation with Gordon Brown have led to a surge in stories concerning Afghanistan.

Of course debates about whether we should be fighting in Afghanistan have raged since September 11^th and certainly the evidence suggests the UK public is not convinced we should be.  Questions in these debates are numerous. Is it likely we will win? Was it our role to interfere in the first place? What about the financial implications in a time of recession? And questions continue about the purpose of being there: is building democracy really the role of the military? Was it just to topple the Taliban? Although anyone who has read Khaled Hosseini's harrowing story A Thousand Splendid Suns may well consider that such a mission is worthwhile.

One of the Biblical texts most often read at Remembrance Day services is John 15:13: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." The message of self-giving and sacrifice is at the heart of the gospel, most clearly demonstrated on the cross. Yet for the families of those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan, I suspect the question asked, as it is in the media, is whether the sacrifice has been worth it. How we measure this though is surely very difficult. Is it only 'worth it' if Afghanistan is transformed and democracy achieved? Or could it be worth it if the lives of those who suffered under the Taliban are that little bit better?

I'm not suggesting for a minute that these are easy questions. There is no magic formula for how much improvement is worth how much sacrifice. But I wonder if a message for all of us in this is to be reminded of the importance of sacrifice, whatever our context. Christians are called to respond to God's sacrificial love for us by serving and loving those around us. Or as I John 4:19 puts it, "We love, because he first loved us." Sacrifice isn't usually a popular word (or action) in our me-centred, pleasure driven, consumer culture. But people that demonstrate something different to this usually stand out as a result, often prompting others to ask questions. It's interesting that one of the verses often used to encourage us to evangelise - 1 Peter 3:15, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" - occurs in the middle of three chapters which describe Christians leading sacrificial lives. These Christians were asked questions, because their lives stood out.

Sometimes we may feel that our time and efforts are in vain when we don't see obvious results. Our sacrifices may not involve laying down our lives; they may seem small and insignificant. But Matthew 6 reminds us that sacrifices done in secret are seen by God and will be rewarded. We may never know the full impact of our actions, but being obedient to God, putting others first and giving of ourselves may just produce results and transform the lives of others in ways we could not imagine.

Susannah Clark, Public Theology Researcher