Band of Brothers

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, this day shall gentle his condition. An gentlemen in England now-a-bed shall think themselves accursed they were not here, and hold their manhood cheap while any speaks that fought with us on St. Crispins day. (Henry V, Shakespeare)

The year was 1415 and as the English marched across Northwest France, the men had grown weak from dysentary and morale was low. The French saw this as an opportunity to rid their country of this enemy. They brought 25,000 men up against this struggling band, but Henry rallied his forces and the English lost only 200 men while the defeated French lost 5,000.

When men walk together through life their is something special. When you are forced to join arms and fight, or pull your brother up from a struggle that has ravaged his life you create bonds not easily broken.

I spent two years walking through life with 11 such men. We shared our good times and our sorrows. There were battles and struggles and times our morale was low, but no one ever walked alone. In Shakespeare's rendition of Henry V, he talks of the men who one day will draw back their sleeves and show the scars they carry from the battle at Agincourt. When I think of my own band of brothers, we each bear the scars that life left on us, but we look upon them with honor and with joy. Those scars remind me of the men who joined me in life's battle.

When I think about how great it is to have those kind of men in your life - friends that I will carry with me to the grave, I am also reminded of how hard it must have been for Christ to hang on the cross. Yes the torture of a cross was a brutal and senseless way to kill a man, but I believe the real anquish of our savior was to look out over the angry mob and all but his mother and John had departed. In that moment we see the humanity of Jesus as he cried out, "My God, My God why has thou forsaken me."

Though we are tempted, tried and tested - we never walk alone. We have a deliverer to lead us into battle and a Savior to rescue us from defeat. Among my own band of brothers is an elder brother who surrendered his body and blood for my freedom and security.

Henry V died at age 35, seven years after the battle of Agincourt. Our Lord was raised from the grave three days after his crucifixion, never to die again. Our King leads us to an eternal victory that will one day also rescue us from the grave.