Who am I? Who are you? Who are we?
Monday Ministerial Musings
By Rev. Mark William Ennis
2025 Blog #41
October 20, 2025
Who am I? Who are you? Who are we?
Recently, for no particular reason, I had a yen to watch some mini-series that I had watched years ago. The two series were film adaptions of Herman Wouk’s books, The Winds of War and War and Remembrance. I was a relatively new minister when these aired, and they inspired me to read both of these books. As troubling as the content of these were, I enjoyed them, especially the historic overview of the World War II era. I confess that I have always been attracted to history and historical fiction.
No matter how many times I watch such period pieces, I am still baffled about how the nation of Germany could allow such atrocities to be perpetrated against Jewish citizens. Yes, I understand the poverty that Germany suffered. I could understand that German citizens might be angry at the French, British, and Americans for the treaty of Versailles which pushed Germany into the economic difficulties that made the average German citizen feel desperate. But why believe that the Jews were the cause of this economic downturn? Perhaps it was a deep-seated antisemitism that rose to the surface as times got more desperate. Regardless, the mob was becoming antisemitic but there were other voices.
In War and Remembrance, I do appreciate the portrayal of voices that were not supporting the oppression of, and violence toward Jews. The German aristocracy opposed such policies, as did the established military. One powerful scene in the movie came when General Rommel, the hero of the North Africa Corp, encouraged Hitler to begin seeking peace. Rommel also encouraged him to stop the atrocities against Jews as a prelude for seeking such peace. Rommel infuriated Hitler when he proclaimed that such treatment of Jews was anti-German. Rommel stated that the German people were too good to be acting in such a way. Rommel, of course, went on to become a conspirator in the assassination attempt against Hitler and was executed.
When we live in crazy circumstances, we have opportunities to define ourselves and proclaim who we are by what we do, or don’t do and what we support and what we oppose.
Perhaps my favorite scene in War and Remembrance, is when a train loaded with Jews who are bound for Auschwitz, makes a water stop. A local gentleman approaches the guards, carrying a large sack and seeks permission to bring it to the inhabitants of the train car. He is granted permission and give the bag to the Jews on the way to Auschwitz. “These are apples,” he proclaims. The Jews on the train were surprised as well as grateful.
“Who are you?” asks one of the train passengers.
Instead of answering with a name or an occupation or a country of origin, he simply proclaims, “I’m a Christian.”
How many of us define ourselves by our relationship to God, and by the acts of mercy that we perform. Our relationships with God do come with a responsible to do Godly acts. How well do we live those responsibilities? Do we, like the man with the apples, stand with the marginalized and oppressed? That is what Jesus, and the old Israelite prophets said was required. Who am I? Who are you? Who are we? I hope that we are God’s people and act like it.
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