P. Pilgrim
The Great War of Europe was fought from 1914- 1918 and over 9.7 million military personal were killed. It was a terrible and deadly war. In the United States a tradition was started to show support for the service personnel. Family members would put a blue star on a small flag in their front windows. Each star proclaimed a son or daughter in military service. Many families displayed more than one flag or a flag with multiple stars. Each star symbolized a family’s love, pride, worry, and hope for their loved one fighting overseas. The small flag was called the Service Flag and it was designed and patented by World War I Captain Robert L. Queissner of the 5th Ohio Infantry whose two sons were serving on the front line. However, many of these young men died. As a result in 1918, a request was made by the Women’s Committee of the Council of National Defense and approved by the then President, Mr Wilson to allow mothers who had lost a son serving in the war to wear a gold gilt star on their traditional black mourning band. This practice led to the blue star on the Service Flag being covered with a gold star to indicate that the service member had been killed. In this way an individual’s sacrifice and a family’s loss was made known to all who passed by. Service flags reminded those passersby of the enormity and human cost of the war effort. A story is told of a young boy along with his father who were out for a walk around Christmas time during the Great War in the city of New York, USA. As they walked down the street the boy noticed the star in the window of a house. A little further along the street they came to a house with two stars in the front window. The boy eagerly asked his father what the stars meant. The father patiently explained that every star in the window represented a son which that family had given to fight in the war; some families had given one son but others had given more. As they passed house after house the little boy would turn to every window to see how many stars it had in it. Then they came to a break in the houses and through the gap they could see a lone star shinning brightly in the night sky. The little boy shouted excitedly, “look daddy, God must have given his son as well, because he has got a star in his window!”
Those simple words really sum up the message of Christmas because at this season of the year we remember that God gave his son to be the Saviour and to die on the cross. Ponder carefully the words of the greatest verse in the Bible. The gospel of John chapter three verse sixteen says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The son of God died so that man could have eternal life. The families of service men paid a great sacrifice to keep Europe free but God sent his beloved son was also a great sacrifice. He knew he would die a cruel death on the cross, but all who trust in him can have eternal life.
Merry Christmas readers.
