As you stand at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery you can become mesmerized by the snap and polish of those who guard its precinct. You might even find yourself attracted to the military life by the crisp uniform, the measured steps, the clarity of purpose, and the acceptance of discipline. It used to be said that women were attracted to a man in uniform, although this is perhaps not so much the case any longer. A young man in his dress military uniform is a sight quite different from a battle-grimed man in his fatigues. He sits wearied in body and soul by the burdens of the arms, contemplating the horrors of actual combat. He does not relish the work, but undertakes it under orders to defend constitution and country; an evil job that good men must do. When they march to war they are grim-faced and filled with agony. This is no longer the parade ground exercise that looks so precise and even gloriously beautiful. The reality of battle is quite far from the parade ground.

We too are called to battle by our Lord Jesus. We too must be arrayed for combat when He calls us to arms. We choke on this image of soldiers marching as to war in our squeamish age, when the editors of new hymnbooks decline to print among their hymns the great old standards of militant Christianity like "Onward Christian Soldiers." What gives? Why this squeamishness? It misunderstands the call to arms which Jesus sounds. He does not call us to jihad. He does not ask us to take up our M-16s to mow down the infidels. His arms are not the power unto slaughter. His victory does not mean that we will stand with our boot upon the throat of our enemies. Rather the opposite case is more likely; that our enemy will stand with his boot upon our throat. Our loss, suffering, and trial are all signs of Christ's glorious shining victory over suffering and even death.

We must remember who our commander is, what His battle dispositions are, the weapons with which He equips us, and what His victory looks like. We should not fear the battle to which He calls us, because He has led us there having Himself faced down such fell enemies as death, grave, and hell. He leads not from an entrenched position behind the front, but leads the very vanguard into life, as the firstborn from the dead. He will not fail, no matter how grim the battle appears, no matter how many seem the losses. We may approach our enemy's lair without fear or trepidation. We needn't flee from the clash of arms or the cacophony of battle. We may go in our best dress uniform adorned by the weapons of light; weapons given by Him who is the Light of the world. Who goes to war dressed like the bridegroom in his tuxedo, except one who is quite certain of the outcome, dressed for the cessation of war and the signs of ultimate peace? We can waltz into war, because of Christ and His weapons. The battle is joined. Bring it on.