Tomorrow marks the 236 th Birthday of the U.S. Coast Guard. What has this to do with the Two Kingdoms? Everything!

God has commanded “You shall not kill” (Deuteronomy 5:17). One of the things I like about Luther’s explanation of the Commandments is that he also sees the positive (you shall) in the “you shall not.” Here, in this commandment, he explains that we are to “help him [i.e. our neighbor] in all his physical needs” (Small Catechism). In his Large Catechism he puts it this way: “…this commandment is violated not only when a person actually does evil, but also when he fails to do good to his neighbor, or, though he has opportunity, fails to prevent, protect and save him from suffering bodily harm or injury.” In other words, the Fifth Commandment is a call to defend life. It is based upon the biblical principle of the sanctity of life. Right Hand Kingdom people are to be effectively engaged in protecting and defending life.

The U.S. Coast Guard exists, among other things, to protect and defend our homeland and the people who reside here.

On August 4, 1790, Alexander Hamilton’s vision became a reality when President George Washington signed the Tariff Act, authorizing ten revenue cutters to defend our young Nation and enforce tariff laws. August 4 is an annual observation within the United States that celebrates the founding of the nation’s oldest continuous maritime service.

Today, the USCG carries out an exceptionally wide range of missions, including search and rescue operations at sea, enforcing maritime law, maintaining aids to navigation such as lighthouses and buoys, conducting port security inspections, and responding to environmental disasters such as oil spills. It operates across all five oceans as well as America’s vast network of inland waterways and the Great Lakes, enforcing fishing laws, and countering drug trafficking at sea.

In a nutshell, the Coast Guard is responsible for the safety, defense, and protection of millions of people who live, work, and travel on or near America’s coastlines and waterways.

A sincere thanks to all our Coast Guard members, wishing the Guard a happy 236 th Birthday! And a special thanks to a former parishioner of mine, now serving in the Coast Guard, for living out your faith, being effectively engaged in the Left Hand Kingdom for the defense and protection of us all.