The Band Of Brothers
It was in 2001 after watching the HBO mini-series “Band of Brothers” that many of the principles, concepts and feelings that I had over the years started to come together. They began to form a more comprehensive picture of what I wanted my life to be about. A vision began to emerge about what legacy I wanted to leave behind for future generations, and who I wanted to do it with. The story from this “Band of Brothers” series is about a group of men called “Easy Company” and all they went through together during the Second World War. It got me thinking again about so many of these things stored away in my own heart. It would be another seven years before God would finally indicate to me that it was the right time to share this with others. If I am right, then many of you that read this will feel a tugging or burning in your own heart as this is not exclusive. In fact, just the opposite as I believe it to be inclusive of many of us who have reached middle age and are at another crossroads in our lives. We have important choices to make and what I am about to suggest is one of them.
There seems to me to be a number of key correlations between all that the men of “Easy Company” went through in the battle for the liberation of Europe, and the battle we the Christian Community currently wage on earth for the establishment of the Kingdom of God. The word “Kingdom” seems like such an archaic word so every once in awhile I like inserting the word “Government.” I think it is more culturally relevant today.
So what is it that makes the concept of the Band of Brothers so appealing to me? At the core is the idea of a group of ordinary men, called on to do extraordinary things together, in order to reach a common goal. I see this same theme in the group or “company” of men that Jesus chose to have at His side. They too were ordinary guys brought together from different backgrounds to fulfill a common purpose. This is such an interesting group of family members, business associates and men looking for a cause worth fighting for. The fervent ones we know as “Zealots” which a number of the men in the group were. It is clear by their nicknames and their actions that they were all passionate men. They were all looking for a cause and Jesus knew it and gave them one much bigger than they had ever imagined. They spent three years with Jesus on an incredible high, watching Him gather crowds, do miracles and share profound words of insight only to be left feeling abandoned and confused by His death. Then, encouraged by His resurrection but still not sure what to do, they hid out together in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit united their hearts and opened their eyes to a cause worth laying their lives down for. These were ordinary men called on to do extraordinary things and because of their faith they did!
Jesus must have seen something deep within them at the very core of their heart. It is interesting to note that it’s possible half of the group was related to someone else in the group. In other words, they had a bond that pre-existed before Jesus brought them together to fulfill a common purpose. It certainly wasn’t just their personal wealth that Jesus was after or their skill sets, as there were others wealthier and more talented. I suspect He saw something in their hearts that caused Him to trust them with the Keys of His Kingdom.
What were those keys? I believe them to be the values and principles that God’s Government is built on. To know and understand these values and principles is to know God’s heart as this is where they are kept. Have you ever thought about what the Government of God would look like on earth? I imagine that while we may not know exactly the form it would take, we do know that it would be built on a number of key principles, none less important than that of Justice. Wasn’t this also what the “Band of Brothers” in Easy Company was fighting for? To fight back the armies of tyranny and destroy the oppressor so that Justice was established and the downtrodden and captive could be set free.
This whole concept of the Band of Brothers really touches something at the core of my soul as I see myself as very ordinary and yet my heart wants to do something extraordinary alongside other ordinary guys.
Personally, I am bored with normal and ordinary. Mundane is getting old. I am tired of solely pursuing after a business career and accumulating material goods. For what end I ask myself? What is the point or purpose of it all? I cannot take anything with me and in the end what will I have to show for it all? Solomon, the great and wealthy Jewish King summed it all up rather succinctly as vanity. “It is all vanity” he proclaimed in the later years of his life. Vanity is not how I want my life to be summed up.
Is God giving me pats on the back for all the great business deals I am doing or how much wealth I’m accumulating? Does He really care about my portfolio or my retirement plan? Or is He observing what I have done with what He entrusted to me? How does what I do everyday build His Government here on earth? Am I building “Heaven on Earth” like I pray for daily in the “Lord’s Prayer”? These are the questions that fill my thoughts and make me re-evaluate where my heart is. As the scriptures remind me of what Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will follow” I ask myself, what then is really important to me, where is my heart?
As I have pondered these questions I have come to a number of important conclusions about myself:
- I care about the plight of the Oppressed Poor and would like to see what I can do to help alleviate their suffering. It seems that God is 1.doing a work in my heart that must be expressed in a tangible way.
- I want to build something for them that will make a significant difference in their lives. I think it is in the nature of all men to build in some form or fashion. With the understanding I now have, it must be built on the principle or foundation of Justice. I want to return to the 1.the innocence of my childhood and right the wrongs.
- I also want to do it with my long time friends who are my Band of Brothers. I believe that God is not done with us, and we may in fact 1.just be getting started.
- I want to do it from a right heart; the heart of Compassion, as this is genuine and brings Life for all involved.
It is essential if we are to go on this journey together, that you understand the heart of God when it comes to the oppressed poor and those that fight on their behalf.
