Every Sunday is Memorial Day
“Memorial Day is an official holiday in most states of the United States. It was observed on
May 30 until 1971, when, for federal employees, the date was changed to the last Monday
in May. It is also known as Decoration Day.
The custom of placing flowers on the graves began on May 5, 1866, in Waterloo, NY, and
Waterloo has been recognized by Congress as the official birthplace of Memorial Day. In
1868, Gen. John A. Logan, then president of the Grand Army of the Republic, declared that
May 30 would be a day to decorate with “flowers the graves of comrades who died in
defense of their country during the late rebellion.”
After World War I the day was set aside to honor those of all American wars, and the
custom was extended to pay homage to deceased relatives and friends, both military and
civilian. The most solemn ceremony conducted on Memorial Day is the placing of a wreath
at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier located in Arlington National Cemetery.
(From the Encyclopedia Americana, 1991 edition)
Tomorrow we will celebrate this day. Many people see it as just a day off; a 3 day weekend.
But for those who have lost someone because of war or military action, it means much
more than a day off.
In fact, every American ought to recognize this day out of his patriotic duty to his country
and in honor of those who spilled their blood to make America what she is today--free,
strong, and a nation worth fighting for.
Because men have died for this country, we have the right to preach God’s word freely. We
have the right to live at peace in our own homes. We have the right to pursue peace,
prosperity and happiness. Thank God for those who died to make us free.
As we prepare to enter into a day to remember those who died for liberty, it is fitting to
remember the one who died to set us free from spiritual tyranny. Jesus fought the armies of
Hell that we might have liberty in his holy name.
We celebrate Memorial Day once a year to remember those who died for freedom, but
every week is a celebration of the Memorial of Christ. Let’s parallel our nations Memorial
Day with the memorial day of Christ because for the Christian, every Sunday is a memorial
day.
On Memorial Day we
1-Mourn the Loss
2-Remember the Lives
3-Are thankful for the Sacrifice
In light of Christ’s battle, let’s examine evidence of our memorial in Him as we recognize
the likeness of our celebration of our military.
On Memorial Day we
1-Mourn the Loss
We remember the loved ones who died, wish they were here and not gone; here to share
with us, to hold, to talk to and to see. But because of death, we cannot.
When people die, we naturally think of the “If Only’s”
“If only I had told him I loved him”;
“If only I had kissed her one last time”;
“If only I hadn’t spoken so harshly”.
We replay those doubts over and over in our minds. But we ultimately know those “If
Only’s” would not change a thing.
On the Lord’s Memorial Day, we are to examine our responsibility to Christ. The Christian
must recognize that he is responsible for His death. “If only we had not sinned he would not
have had to die.”
But we are to blame. We must examine ourselves as we meet around his memorial as if we
would stand before a mirror and realize the truth in Romans 3:23 ~ for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God.
Matthew chapter 18 verses 12-14 says ~ "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred
sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go
to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier
about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way
your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost. We are that
lost sheep and Jesus found us.
Mourning the loss is the first thing we must do as we celebrate the memorial of our Lord.
This is why Jesus gave us the bread at communion. The first thing you do with the bread as
you partake of this memorial is break it. Whether you physically break it with your hands
or you chew it, you break the body of Christ. Just as our sin broke the physical body of
Christ.
On Memorial Day we:
1-Mourn the Loss and
2-Remember the Lives
Part of our emotional healing in the process of grief is to remember the lives of the loved
one who has passed. The headstones we put on the graves are a testimony of who those
people were. Some of those we have all seen might say:
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Gone Too Soon
Safe in the Arms of Jesus
Faithful Unto Death
Beloved father or mother
Gone But Not Forgotten
At Rest
Asleep in Jesus
The Lord Is My Shepherd, I Shall Not Want
Life’s Work Well Done She Rests in Peace
All of these messages tell us a little about the one who is buried under that headstone.
Likewise the epitaph that Jesus left tells us something about him. Inscribed on just about
every communion table I have ever seen are the words found in 1 Corinthians chapter 11
verse 24: and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is
for you; do this in remembrance of me."
What must we remember about Jesus?
To answer I would like suggest that he would like us to remember how He lived and what
he taught through His life. He set a glowing example of how to live in love. Our life should
reflect that love.
At the Lord’s Table we don’t walk around the monument and admire it. We have fellowship
with a living Savior as our hearts reach out by faith.
If we approach this memorial in the proper attitude we will experience spiritual growth
just as our physical body grows when fed properly. We “Do this in remembrance of Him”
On Memorial Day we
1-Mourn the Loss
2-Remember the Lives
3-Are Thankful for the Sacrifice
ILLUSTRATION from “Stories from the Heart”
It was a few weeks before Christmas 1917. The beautiful snowy landscapes of Europe were
blackened by war.
The trenches on one side held the Germans and on the other side the trenches were filled
with Americans. It was World War I. The exchange of gunshots was intense. Separating
them was a very narrow strip of no-man’s-land. A young German soldier attempting to
cross that no-man’s-land had been shot and had become entangled in the barbed wire. He
cried out in anguish, then in pain he continued to whimper.
Between the shells all the Americans in that sector could hear him scream. When one
American soldier could stand it no longer, he crawled to that German soldier. When the
Americans realized what he was doing they stopped firing, but the Germans continued.
Then a German officer realized what the young American was doing and he ordered his
men to cease firing. Now there was a weird silence across the no-man’s-land. On his
stomach, the American made his way to that German soldier and disentangled him. He
stood up with the German in his arms, walked straight to the German trenches and placed
him in the waiting arms of his comrades. Having done so, he turned and started back to the
American trenches.
Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder that spun him around. There stood a German
officer who had won the Iron Cross, the highest German honor for bravery. He jerked it
from his own uniform and placed it on the American, who walked back to the American
trenches. When he was safely in the trenches, they resumed the insanity of war!
That German soldier was thankful for that American soldiers sacrifice.
All the heroic acts done on the battlefields through history have made our country what it
is today. We are free. We are wealthy. We are respected.
I am proud to be an American and I have the luxuries of this country because men have
died to give me what I have.
Similarly, the price Jesus paid afforded us salvation. We have the promise of salvation and
we did nothing to afford this luxury. For this, we must be thankful. This is why Jesus gave
us the cup.
1 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 25 says In the same way, after supper he took the cup,
saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in
remembrance of me."
When we drink from the cup, we remember our forgiveness. It is the blood of Jesus that
was spilled in order to clean our hearts from sin.
I hope that after today’s message you will make time to spend around the Memorial of
Christ.
1-Mourn the loss of the body of Christ and examine your responsibility to it as you break
the bread.
2-Remember the life of Jesus as you compare your life with his. Eat the bread and realize
that you are one with his body.
3-Be thankful for His sacrifice because it is through His that you are saved; partake of the
cup and be thankful for His sacrifice that offered your forgiveness.
This Memorial Day, remember your Savior and His Memorial.
I also ask you to remember those who stand shoulder to shoulder against terror and
oppression to carry freedom’s torch in foreign lands.
How is it possible to honor such men, both the dead and living?
Perhaps we should make certain that their stories are told to the young.
Perhaps we should try to imitate both their purposes and lives, in both peace and war.
Perhaps we should just sincerely thank them for making sure that this island of liberty
would continue.
Perhaps we should just say this, along with Abraham Lincoln: “Gold is good in its place; but
living, brave, patriotic men, are better than gold.”
We are in your debt and we thank you. May God always bestow His blessings upon you.
Let this Memorial Day be a beginning, a rebirth, of our commitment to live and to serve
with passion, joy and enthusiasm. Let us start summer with a triumphant and joyous song,
as we celebrate liberty, love and life.
Amen.