Lay Down Your Life

On July 1st I attended a memorial service with my chaplain husband for Patrolman Rob Clark. It was held at a park in the 1st District of the Cleveland Police Department. The memorial was constructed so that the people of the area would remember this officer who gave his life for them.


This is a yearly event and the brief memorial service is followed by a cookout complete with this dessert cake. It seems ironic or better yet, bittersweet that such a sweet concoction would bear the shield of the fallen officer.


My husband always bring the Word of God to these memorial services so that people are fed spiritually. The law is ever before the people at the memorial -- Rob's wife, his mother, his sisters. It is apparent that the law of death has taken Rob away from his loved ones. The Chaplain is the one who uses God's Word to point to Jesus the One who laid down His life willingly so that Rob would have eternal life. The politicians, other officers and Officer Clark's family remind us of the love that Rob had for the people of Cleveland. The Chaplain reminds them of the LOVE that God has for each of us -- enough to send His Son to pay for the sins of the world.


Here is a closeup of the brass marker at the memorial.






No police memorial or funeral is complete without a bagpipe. This bagpiper started in the back of the crowd and slowly walked through the group playing Amazing Grace. He then paused in front facing the memorial for a short while. He continued his mournful playing while marching away so that the sound eventually faded into the distance.

This shows the exact reason the memorial was built. The child is being taught by his mother that there is a cost to living in a civilized society. There are evil people intent on harming us and there is a wall of blue which stands between evil and us. Sometimes, police officers are called upon to enter extremely dangerous situations. Sometimes, they do not return. The police officer is the mask of God for us. God uses the police officer to protect and defend us. I don't know if that is what the mother is telling the child, but that is what I would say.


For a police officer, the shield represents him. When my husband found a shield in the rubble of the twin towers, it was treated as if he had found the officer himself. So I close this post with this rememberance of Detective Robert Clark.