5/29/21 Blessed to Remember

Summary: On Memorial Day

What is the history of Memorial Day?

“Memorial Day is an official holiday in 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 of those lost in war 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 Logan, then president of the Grand Army of the Republic, declared that May 30 would be a day to decorate the graves of comrades with “flowers who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion.”

After World War I the day was set aside to honor all Americans who died in wars, then the custom was extended to pay tribute to deceased relatives and friends, both military and civilian.

The most honored social ceremony conducted on Memorial Day is the placing of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier located in Arlington national Cemetery.

Today we honor this day in our message.

Many people see it as just a day off; a 3 day weekend. A reason to cook out and invite friends over, 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 and honor those who gave their lives to make America

free, strong, and a nation worth fighting for.

Because people 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.

We need to thank God for those who died to make us free.

As we prepare today to remember those who died for our country, it is important to remember the ONE who died to set us free from our sins.

Every week we are blessed in a celebration of the Memorial of Christ.

In light of Christ’s battle, let’s take a closer look at our memorial in Him as we recognize the likeness of our celebration of our military.

On Memorial Day we are blessed to

1.Mourn the separation

Mt 18:12 “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? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

As we mourn our separation from Christ, we realize that we are the guilty ones. And know that if there only be one sinner who was lost, He still would have died. His love is that great.

On Memorial Day we are blessed to:

2.Remember the Lives of all whom we have lost

• 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.

Let me share with you some epitaphs I found.

• Gone So Soon

• Dear Parents, though we will miss you much, we know you rest with God.

• Safe in the Arms of Jesus-Faithful Unto Death-Gone But Not Forgotten

• Go Spirit, Go Thy Way- At Rest-Asleep in Jesus

• The Lord Is My Shepherd, I Shall Not Want-Life’s Work Well Done She Rests in Peace

What then must we also remember about Jesus?

The answer is that He would like us to remember how He lived and what he taught through His life. and his death

He set a example of how to live in love and live eternally.

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

On Memorial Day we are blessed to

3. Be thankful for all sacrifices or our freedom

2 Thessalonians 2:13But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

Many believers paid with their lives for our freedom

ILLUSTRATION

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.

Only when he was safely in the trenches, did they resume 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 Good it is.

I am proud to be an American and I have the luxuries of this country because people have died to give me what I have.

Similarly the price Jesus paid afforded us the freedom of salvation. We have the promise of salvation and we did nothing to afford or deserve this luxury.

For this we must be thankful, grateful, and focused on abiding in Christ

Taking or giving no in-between even in giving our life

Pray with me