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By Stephen Andrew Tillett

In Romans 12, the apostle Paul told the church that in order to please and honor God, we need to offer ourselves as 'living sacrifices.' In order for God to truly reign, we must die to self and live for God.

I have just completed a 30-day rotation on the island of Guam in the South Pacific, fulfilling the Air National Guard?s monthly chaplain ministry commitment to deployed bomber and tanker squadrons who come to help fulfill the mission for our nation?s defense.

Make no mistake, Guam is no remote or difficult deployment. As I sit on the plane about four hours from home, after 15 hours of flying, I am bracing myself for the frigid temperatures that will greet me. The coolest it got the entire time I was in Guam was probably about 76 degrees.

Nevertheless, the troops and their families who deploy there or those who are stationed there without their families are making a living sacrifice on behalf of our country. These are people who potentially put themselves in harm?s way on a daily basis, without complaint, to serve their country.

Having been blessed to celebrate Thanksgiving at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, I have a few holiday observations to share.

First, unlike in The United Methodist Church, where the ministers are itinerant, in the military, everyone is itinerant. In general, no one will serve at a duty station longer than three to four years. As a result the troops have learned to depend upon each other in a way we should envy on the civilian side.

I experienced such a profound sense of family there, that even though I was spending the first Thanksgiving of my life away from my family, I still got to enjoy the holiday in a festive family setting complete with children everywhere and great home cooked food ? a welcome break from the chow hall.

The men and women of our Armed Forces have learned how to plant themselves in a community of like-minded people, wherever they are assigned. Each person willingly sacrifices some portion of themselves for the collective good. Parents with older children assist and mentor parents with younger children and older married couples mentor newlyweds.

I found it a sign of my passing time, that many of the young troops and their spouses who I encountered were just slightly older than my children and here they were functioning as members of the military, as spouses and as parents. (Somebody?s getting old, but I?m sure it?s not me!)

They also mentor them in their career fields, and in each instance, the older troops are offering themselves as living sacrifices, knowing that the health of the larger body can only be enhanced when the focus is not so much about 'me' as it is about others.

This is especially true in the chapel community where the people who worship together have formed tight bonds with each other that may last a lifetime. The presence of Jesus the Christ is powerful and effective in their Christian community.

When a family lost everything (material, but no lives) in a house fire last week, the entire base community rallied to their aid, made donations of clothing and furniture and sponsored a 'Burger Burn' (cookout) to raise money. The chapel community took up a special offering. They looked out for one another in true Acts 2 fashion having 'everything in common ?they gave to anyone as they had need.'

In spite of the seasonal incongruity, for me, of Christmas decorations and palm trees being on the same lawn, I?m sure the true spirit of Christmas will be present in a very rich and powerful way.

For some it will be a reminder of homes and families far away. For others, it will be the blessing of a new community they have formed half a world away. We should learn from these troops ? our troops ? and honor their sacrifice with our prayers and support.

The Rev. Stephen Andrew Tillett is pastor of Asbury-Broadneck UMC in Annapolis and a Wing Chaplain with the D.C. Air National Guard at Andrews Air Force Base.