READ: DEUTERONOMY 4:5-13
But watch out! Be very careful never to forget what you have seen the Lord do for you. Do not let these things escape from your mind as long as you live. And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. (V. 9)
I am a Montgomery County Police Officer, a soldier of the law, to me is entrusted the honor of the department. I must serve honestly and faithfully and if need be lay down my life as others have done before me rather than swerve from the path of duty. It is my duty to obey the law and to enforce it without regard for class, creed, color or condition. It is also my duty to be of service to anyone who may be in danger or distress and at all times conduct myself that the honor of the Department be upheld.
Four simply stated sentences comprise my former departments Code of Honor. It embraces the true essence and tradition of law enforcement to me and my brothers and sisters, past and present, who proudly served their community as police officers. It is the uniting focal point for all members of the department. During National Law Enforcement Week in May, we remember all those who have laid down their lives in obedience to this code. These are the true heroes of police service and their names, along with thousands from other agencies across the nation, are carved into a Memorial Wall in Washington, DC. Tears and emotions are impossible to control when I reach out and touch the names familiar to me while looking at the thin blue laser of light penetrating the night sky in their honor. Silently I pray for each one. Then I come to attention and render a simple hand salute to honor and respect for their sacrifice.
Tradition, marking the timeless good works and sacrifices of those who served and sacrificed before us, must be kept alive, lest we forget the reasons we exist as organizations or persons. Moses, while exhorting the Israelites to obey the laws and commandments given to them by God, also reminded the people to never forget what the Lord God Almighty had done for them. He brought them out of captivity, shepherded and provided for them in the wilderness and gave them a land to call home. Indeed, the Lord had spoken directly to them, through Moses, when he proclaimed his unbreakable Covenant at the foot of Mt.Sinai. Yes, their tradition of faith must be kept alive from generation to generation to serve as a springboard to launch an ever-closer relationship to God. Moses knew for their faith to grow it needed to be firmly rooted in the past.
PAUSE FOR REFLECTION AND PRAYER
What are your traditions of faith? God uses these traditions to spearhead and enrich our transforming journeys with him.
Father God, thank you for the traditions of our Judeo-Christian heritage. May we use them as a powerful reminder of what you have done for us and to draw us ever closer to you.