Celebrating to Honor

Take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever. Joshua 4:5b-7 ESV

How often do we stop and meditate on the words, “Do This in Remembrance of Me”? These simple words are carved into countless communion tables around the world. Jesus paid the ultimate price to be able to say these words.

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 Jesus’ costly sacrifice given for all who would follow Him.

Years later, the words, “Do This in Remembrance of Me,” would impact my life greatly. Words carved into a table became words carved into my heart 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.

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. Abraham Lincoln was purportedly asked if God was on their side in the war, prompting President Lincoln’s reply, “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

Though Memorial Day is a unique holiday in the United States, there are similar types of celebrations in other countries honoring citizens who were 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 the 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 in 1968 and became 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.

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 who 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.

Jacob needed a remembrance and set up a pillar to commemorate God’s vision to him in Genesis 28. Joshua knew that the nation would need a remembrance and had leaders from each tribe pick up a boulder from the dry river bed and erect a memorial. This became a monument to remind the next generation of God’s love and miraculous intervention. (Joshua 4) When God gave Israel a victory over their enemy, Samuel took a large stone and named it Ebenezer. This stone would serve as a reminder for future generations of God’s goodness and grace. (I Samuel 7).

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. World War II Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel wrote, “Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.”

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)

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.”

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

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!