Softly Call the Muster - Pt 3

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28 ESV).

The second principle in Aggie Muster is conveyed in Jesus’ teaching recorded in our reading today. Honor one another through service. In front of the Memorial Student Center at A&M, there are 55 trees that surround Simpson Drill Field to honor the 55 Aggies that gave their lives in World War I. In addition, in the front hallway, there are displays honoring the eight Aggies who served during World War II and received Congressional Medals of Honor. Almost every school has a football team, albeit not as great as ours. After all, no one else has the Twelfth Man. Many other colleges and universities have great schools of agriculture and engineering. Some even have alumni gatherings that celebrate days of old. And a few have military cadets. But none combine all these elements of excellence and remembrance, tradition and affiliation, and bring them together in a single, solemn ceremony that signifies what we are as Aggies to the core of our being. In a time where culture tells us to look out for oneself, we still honor the core attribute of “ole army fight!” Texas A&M still calls us to look out for one another. If you were in the Corps of Cadets, as I was, that very first day of Freshman Orientation, “Fish Week,” you were taught the sum of the whole is greater than the individual parts. You were taught this when you were all given the same first name. It was the ubiquitous designation of “fish.” No one is elevated above another; you are all just Fish. You are “fish.” And then those fish from various communities, backgrounds and ethnic roots over the course of that first year reach final review and suddenly you know you are not alone. You have become one. And the proof is in the pudding. It was the Class of ’17 that graduated en masse to get overseas and fight and die to liberate Europe. It was those classes of the 1930’s and 1940’s who fought on the high seas; who flew missions from the air; who died and bled in foxholes and lonely islands to free millions from the forces of oppression in World War II. It was the Aggie heroes in Korea, Vietnam, and the Cold War who brought down the Iron Curtain and a murderous Soviet regime, freeing millions of Russians, millions of neighboring Republics, and people throughout Eastern Europe. And it was Aggies who fought, died and today bear the scars of the first Persian Gulf War… the War in Iraq… and the war that continues in Afghanistan today who continue to do us proud. But it’s not just Aggies on the field of battle who have advanced the cause of service. It’s Aggies in classrooms and board rooms. Aggies in factories and mills. Aggies on oil rigs, in soup kitchens, involved in charities and private giving who have put a love of country and neighbor first. That’s not just what Aggies do, that’s who we are. This is what we honor. Should believers in Jesus do any less!