Major Rev. Tom Hamilton
Special to The Guardian
With Remembrance Day only days ago, we have paid tribute to fallen Canadians, honoured our veterans and recognized our military members for their service to Canada domestically and overseas.
When a military member deploys for overseas service there is a dedicated group of support personnel called a rear party. These people maintain contact with the military member overseas and care for the member’s family back home. Rear party support includes a military chaplain to provide pastoral care and prayer support.
As Christians we have all benefited from rear party support. Over the years there have been parents or family members or friends or ministers or members of our church families who have supported us — spiritually. I’m referring to the people who took us to church, read us Bible stores, prayed with us, talked with us or who practically connected the strength of our faith to life’s everyday ups and downs.
We are indebted to the spiritual role models who, through personal example, consistently lived out the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
When was the last time you said thank you to the spiritual rear party in your life? Why not thank a Sunday School teacher, long-time church friend, parent or retired minister for the profound spiritual difference they made in your life?
Knowing that you remember and appreciate their kindness, prayers, instruction, Christian friendship and consistent Christian witness might just mean the world to them.
But that’s just the beginning. There’s so much more to our spiritual rear party. In Hebrews chapter 12 we read: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.”
You have a spiritual rear party in heaven that is cheering you onward. We can’t see them with our earthly eyes, but we can sense them with our spiritual vision – those much beloved parents and grandparents, other family members and cherished friends who have already gone ahead of us. They are led by our Lord. We might even call them heavenly cheer leaders who are proud of you, who miss you and who have a glimpse of the great ways you are going to make a difference for good and for God in the days ahead.
As we are about to enter the Advent season let’s prepare our hearts by taking time to thank the spiritual rear party in our lives and to thank God for the heavenly Rear Party who are cheering us onward.
You are never alone. God is with you and He is joined by your spiritual Rear Party here and also that “great cloud of witnesses”.
Major Rev. Tom Hamilton serves in team ministry with his wife, Rev. Paula Hamilton, in the congregations of St. Mark’s Presbyterian in Charlottetown. He also serves as Senior Military Chaplain of 36 Canadian Brigade Group (Nova Scotia and P.E.I.), Padre to the Prince Edward Island Regiment and Padre to Branch #1 Charlottetown, of the Royal Canadian Legion. A guest sermon runs regularly in Saturday’s Guardian and is provided through Christian Communications.
