Memorial Day 2021

I suppose for most people Memorial Day has become simply a kick off to the summer season of barbecues, picnics and outdoor activity. Congress purposely moved it to a Monday so it would make a long holiday weekend.

Sadly, it would seem most people have forgotten the actual reason Memorial Day became a holiday.

The History of Memorial Day

Our national observance of Memorial Day dates back to 1868, when General John A. Logan named May 30th as a special day to honor the graves of Union soldiers. General Logan’s order was that the day was “designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion.” Hence, it was also called Decoration Day.

The Importance of Remembering

I mention this because it is up to us to teach the next generation the meaning of the day. They need to learn our history and the sacrifices that have been made for the freedoms they enjoy – and all too often take for granted. The future of any nation demands that its citizens have a sense of history and their place in it.

I will contend that failure to remember and honor the sacrifices by those who have gone before us will of necessity lead to a failure to preserve the very things for which they died. Freedom is not free, and those who recognize its cost will continue to pay its price so that it is preserved while those who do not will not and so will lose it.

It is also important to set aside time to remember the sacrifices that have been made for us for it is also part of our worship of God. When we set aside time and participate in activities that will cause us to think about the past, we gain a sense of the moving of God’s providential hand which in turn gives us a greater confidence as we face the future. This is as true for nations now and it was true for the ancient nations. Such a remembrance is even a central aspect of our worship of the Lord Jesus.

Memorials in Scripture

Setting aside days or objects of remembrance are nothing new. There are many of them in both the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures for a variety of particular purposes. For example:

Genesis 9:12–13 ESV

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

God established the rainbow as the sign of His covenant with Noah that He would not flood the earth again to destroy all flesh. It was a reminder of both God’s judgment in the past and His promise for the future.

Joshua 3:15–17 ESV

and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

Joshua 4:1–3 ESV

When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’ ”

Joshua 4:6–7 ESV

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.”

Records the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River on dry ground. God directed the Levites to carry the Ark of the Covenant into the river and as their feet touched the river, the water stopped flowing and the riverbed became dry. A man from each tribe then collected a large stone from the middle of the river bed and these were stacked on the opposite side of the Jordan as a memorial. The purpose was specifically so that when future generations of children would ask about the stacked stones, the story of the crossing could be retold. It was important to remember their history.

Exodus 13:12–14 ESV

you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord’s. Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.

The Lord brings about His last plague upon Egypt which resulted in Pharaoh finally releasing the children of Israel from their enslavement. The first born would be killed unless the blood of a lamb was spread on the doorposts and lintel in which case the angel of death would pass over that house. The Lord then established the Feast of Passover as a yearly reminder of this event and the freedom that resulted from it.

1 Corinthians 11:26 ESV

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Paul explains the purpose and procedure of the Lord’s Supper or Communion. He explains its history and its meaning by citing Jesus’ very words concerning it. Jesus said that both the bread, which represented His body, and the cup, which represented His blood, were to be partaken “in remembrance of Me” (vs. 24-25). This ceremony of memorial is observed by His followers as a proclamation of His death until He comes (vs. 26).

Body of Christ we have much to remember and be thankful for both in our nation, and in our faith. Moreover, just as we remember those that gave themselves that we might live a life of freedom, we also have to remember Him who gave His life for us that we might live a life free from the bonds of sin a death. We remember that faithfulness of God in the past so that we might have faith in the promise of God for our future. We know that he will never leave us and never forsake us, and He that has brought is this far didn’t bring us here just to leave us here. We remember that we serve a God who is more than enough; we serve a God of new beginnings.