Common Denominator
A Jewish chaplain gave this thoughtful description of his ministry to soldiers during World War II:
I find most of my work with men of Protestant and Catholic faiths. Moving about clearing stations, mobile hospitals, rest centers and reserve units… one cannot merely seek his own fellow worshippers. Every boy is equally important—and a smile looks as good on anyone. We forget that we are this faith or another and emphasize the common denominator of fellowship. When they bring them in on a litter covered with mud, blood-soaked, with fear and shock in their faces, you can’t tell what they are until you look at their dog tags. To serve such men is my privilege.523
Military chaplains have always functioned on many levels. As representatives of their faith they have a role in sharing their beliefs with those in spiritual need. As representatives of different denominations they provide the familiar forms of worship that are meaningful to those denominations. On a more basic level, however, they try to represent God to others by bringing a simple, godly concern to every man and woman. This caring touch in the midst of often-desolate surroundings has been of incalculable comfort to many thousands, regardless of their religious affiliation or nonaffiliation. The common denominator is the fact that all are truly God’s children. Many of these chaplains have shared the dangers and discomforts of combat duty around the world and have earned the gratitude of generations of soldiers, sailors, and airmen.
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.”
—Luke 10:1–2