As we announced the other day, the 25th annual Sabre of Boldness was awarded to Dr. David P. Scaer for a lifetime of boldness and intrepidity in defense of Christ’s atonement and the Gospel. The editors determined and announced the recipient at a reception at Redeemer Lutheran Church on Wednesday, January 22nd, 2020, and the award was presented to Dr. Scaer the following night at the annual Concordia Theological Seminary Symposia banquet. Here’s a video of the presentation.

And here is the text of Chaplain Shaw’s remarks the night before:

“Welcome to the 25th Sabre of Boldness ceremony sponsored by the Editors of the Gottesdienst, The Journal of the Lutheran Liturgy. We have met in a variety of venues over the years, but what a pleasure to be back home here at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne—thank you! Amongst the Gottesdienst editors present tonight are Burnell Eckardt, Editor-in-Chief; Mark Braden, Taking Pains; Karl Fabrizius, Musing on the Mysteries, Hymns; David Petersen, Commentary on the War; Aaron Koch, Emeritus, Hymns; and yours truly Jonathan Shaw, Sabre of Boldness. The remaining 10 editors are at this moment fully engaged on the battlefield in the trenches, allowing us to be here.

“As you should know, the Sabre of Boldness is not a fictional device, such as the rings of the ‘Lord of the Rings’, but an actual sabre. The Sabre of Boldness ordinarily hangs on its huge display plaque in Sussex, Wisconsin, engraved with names of those who have received the Sabre, with the meaning and basis for the award: ‘For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity on behalf of the Holy Church of Christ, while engaged in the confession of His Pure Gospel in the face of hostile forces, and at the greatest personal risk.’

“It is important to note that we do not give this award to the memory of the blessed martyrs—from Cassie Bernall, executed at Columbine for saying she believed in God or, this past October, Pastor Assefa Tesfaye of Mekane Yesus Lutheran Church, Ethiopia, together with Pastor Isaias, beheaded by a Muslim mob for their Christian witness. We bless God for their testimony, but the martyrs in Christ have already received the award of infinitely higher precedence—the Crown of Glory.

“Going forward, the editors of the journal Gottesdienst may not annually award the Sabre of Boldness to an individual, but rather, in the vein of the Congressional Medal of Honor, award the Sabre of Boldness when the character of service and sacrifice of the individual compels us.

“We award the Sabre of Boldness to glorify Christ’s one-and-only saving sacrifice for us sinners, to honor individuals whose service has nobly reflected His, to inspire all Christians boldly in their vocations, and to remember before God—begging grace, endurance, and strength for—all the unsung heroes enlisted in the Army of Christ who continue to serve humbly, with fidelity, awaiting the Great Epiphany of our Lord. Then the Church Militant will hang up the Sabre for good as we worship around His glorious throne, all tears wiped away, all holy aspiration fulfilled, all love realized in the presence of God and His Lamb.

“But for now, the battle continues and we march. And as our Lord Himself said, along the way the “sons of light” can learn a thing or two from the “sons of this world” (St. Luke 16:8).

“In war, Clausewitz reminds us, the simplest thing becomes complex. The terrain twists, soldiers tire, and the enemy always gets a vote.

“One happy corollary to Clausewitz is that sometimes folly (i.e., a want of mental or moral balance) can lead to a favorable outcome. Consider the first major battle of the Vietnam War, the Battle of Ia Drang Valley, in November of 1965. LTC Hall Moore, of We Were Soldiers Once, and Young, was commanding 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment. Due to an intelligence failure, when he and his men were air-mobiled in, he quickly encountered an enormous enemy force of highly trained and well equipped North Vietnamese Army (NVA) regulars. In the ensuing fog of battle, one platoon leader on a flank pushed his 29 men way forward, beyond the line of the battalion, quickly became surrounded by the enemy, fought valiantly, but in the following 25 hours lost 8 dead and 13 wounded. It was folly—a complete mistake. However, the move confused the enemy general, who kept trying to figure out what this meant as part of Hal Moore’s overall plan. It was a bloody battle with 234 American soldiers killed, but this confusion led to an American outcome which severely attrited enemy forces with over 2,000 dead.

“I raise this corollary, that folly can lead to a favorable outcome, because for all the nobility and honor of the Sabre of Boldness, its beginnings just might be categorized as folly. For this account, we turn appropriately to our Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Burnell Eckardt.”

At this point my own remarks followed, for which there is no transcript, though a video of the event may be made available soon. I recounted the story of the Sabre, its origins in jest and its morphing into a very serious award, due to the acclaim it was given by supporters of Gottesdienst. Then I announced that the recipient for the year 2020 was the Rev. Dr. David P. Scaer.