Gratitude is an important virtue in Christianity. The apostle Paul instructs us to be thankful in all things (Ephesians 5:20, 1 Thessalonians 5:18). In theory, having an attitude of thankfulness should come easy to most of us who live in this country. We are not in a state of civil war. The vast majority of us do not live in fear of our lives. No one is starving to death on account of famine. Our health care system is seen as one of the best in the world. Having said that, it is easy to forget to be thankful when we are surrounded by good things (Deuteronomy 8:10-11). 

This is why Anzac Day is significant. It re [Exit] minds us of those who have been (and are) willing to go to war, to even die for us. Killing other people is a terrible business and those who do are often scarred for life by the act. That there are those who are willing to do this on behalf of the rest of us is not something we should take for granted.

David John Garland (1864-1939) was an Anglican minister who was passionate about the Bible being taught in schools. He was actually quite passionate about quite a few things but today, he is chiefly remembered as, "an important architect and originator of Anzac Day ceremonies and rituals". He worked very hard and pushed for a day to remember those in the armed forces who sacrifice so much. 

Considering Anzac Day came about through the efforts of an Anglican priest, it should not be a surprise to anyone that the Christian faith colours a considerable amount of the day's ceremonies. Those who mutter about the religious content of Anzac Day probably do so without knowledge of how it all came about.

Remembering is an important theme for Anzac Day. "Lest we forget" is something that is said by one and all in the ceremonies of the day. Remembering those who fight on our behalf is important. Not forgetting how the day all came about is not a bad thing too.

Sources:

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/garland-david-john-6278

All brickbats, bouquets and banter welcome at simon.chen@narrominebaptist.org.au