America’s Sacred Holiday

Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. Malachi 3:16

If parents were allowed to roll their eyes, I am sure the vast majority have done so or at least thought about it, if they had a young child sitting in a church service. Long before children’s church, I learned how to sit through many church services beside my mother. Hopefully, she didn’t have to roll her eyes very often!

Little boys and girls must do something to entertain themselves but not end up in trouble. You know you are bored if you enjoyed reading through the Baptist Hymnal. Drawing circles on the bulletins helped pass the time and with imagination, the bulletins could turn into a lot of different things.  However, the most entertaining exercise was always watching the people. There were a few funny moments such as the older gentleman in the choir who would fall asleep during the sermon and even once fell out of his seat. Yet, there was a comforting sense of familiarity in seeing the same people week after week, usually sitting in the same spot.

Thing-watching was always a good practice. Like most small Baptist churches, we had a table in front of the pulpit. Years later the words, “Do This in Remembrance of Me,” would impact my life greatly. It was carved into the blonde-finished table and captured my attention and forever changed my life. I would come to know the great sacrifice that Jesus paid that I might have life and it would be at this and future tables that the bread and cup would stir remembrance of what Jesus did in my life.

The disciples who were gathered in the upper room that evening didn’t fully grasp Jesus’ words about bread and the cup until much later. As they finished eating, Jesus took a piece of bread and a cup of wine offering thanks.  He then spoke the words, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me,” (Luke 22:19). Those simple words would become the remembrance of a costly sacrifice given for the following generations.

Whether it is a pile of stones, monuments, or specific days, history is filled with reminders to tell the next generation of a sacrifice that took place. “Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.” (Elie Wiesel)

Jacob set up a pillar to commemorate God’s vision to him in Genesis 28. Joshua had leaders of each tribe in Joshua 4 pick up a boulder from the dry river bed and erect a memorial to remind the next generation of God’s love and miraculous intervention. Samuel set aside a large stone and named it Ebenezer to remind the next generation of God’s goodness and grace in I Samuel 7.

Today marks the United States’ celebration of Memorial Day in remembrance of men and women killed in military conflicts. If a secular government could have a sacred holiday, Memorial Day would come close to that day. Though Memorial Day is a unique holiday in the United States, I found similar types of celebrations in other countries honoring their citizens killed in action. “Remembering the past plays a vital role in the identity of any nation. Sociologists claim that a society aspiring to endure must become a community of memory and hope.” (B.K. Waltke)

The concept of a Remembrance Day for those killed in war originated shortly after the Civil War. It was originally called Decoration Day as people decorated graves of veterans who lost their lives with flowers and wreaths. Memorial Day or Decoration Day was first celebrated on May 30^th but Congress moved the date to the last Monday in May of 1968 and becoming a federal holiday in 1971.

Memorial Day is a perfect opportunity to stop and reflect on the cost of freedom. It is a cost paid through the blood and sacrifice willingly given for others to enjoy freedom. These men and women in the military who were killed in action paid for freedom with their lives. For the sake of others, they paid a heavy price.

Cultural commentator Jonah Goldberg writes, “Democracy’s greatness lies in the fact it is a hedge against bad things.” It took these men and women to build hedges against tyranny, injustice, and hatred. “This is the day we pay homage to all those who didn’t come home. This is not Veterans Day, it’s a day of solemn contemplation over the cost of freedom.” (Tamra Bolton)

Historians estimate that over 1,300,000 men and women have been killed in the various wars and conflicts the United States has been engaged in since the American Revolutionary War. Each number represents a son or daughter, husband or wife, grandchild or friend that never came home. Each number tells the story of a generation that ended that day. Each number tells the story of commitment and sacrifice. Memorial Day allows us to remember those stories of courage with a heart of gratitude.

We give thanks to these men and women who gave their lives and remember even now the enduring loss and pain that exists in thousands of households across this nation.  Former President Barack Obama said it well, “Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay.”

LORD, let us never forget the costly sacrifice of these men and women who died to build a hedge against evil which has allowed freedom to be celebrated. More importantly, thank you for the sacrifice of the cross that gave us freedom and life. “Your name, LORD, endures forever, your renown, LORD, through all generations.”

God is great!