MEMORIAL DAY

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In Christ, Mark

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Nearly 141 years ago, the United States was recovering from a long and bloody Civil War. Those who survived returned home weary and battle scarred, many severely wounded or disabled. Many never made it home with over 646 thousand Union forces and nearly 134 thousand Confederates losing their lives, all this within the boundaries of this great nation.

Our nation’s participation in armed conflict didn’t stop there. The Spanish-American War, World Wars 1 and 2, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq would follow and approximately another 625,000 would give their lives. And the death toll has not stopped yet…every day our servicemen and women continue to die in service to God and country.

While looking at these figures, it’s important for us to not lose sight that those who have died in conflict are more than just numbers. Each person had a life, a future they looked forward to, and a family back home that they loved and missed while in the midst of war. There was a human being just like you and me behind every casualty…and it would be inhumane to reduce them to a mere statistic. For their value was far greater than a number…their act of courage and sacrifice deserving of greater recognition, remembrance, and honor.

This was the mindset of Harry Welles, a small town drug store owner who worked and lived in Waterloo NY in 1886. He had watched those tired, wounded Civil War veterans come home and had listened intently to their stories as they shared their first-hand battlefield accounts. He marveled at their bravery and devotion to duty, feeling impelled to do something to ensure that the courageous soldiers would not become an afterthought…to ensure they would always be remembered and honored.

And so he sprang to action, rallying local businesses and government leaders to close all shops in town each May 5th in memory of the soldiers who lost their lives in the war. On that day, flowers, wreathes, and crosses were laid on the graves of the Northern soldiers in Waterloo’s cemetery.

Elsewhere, retired Major General Jonathan Logan was putting together a separate ceremony, this one honoring all veterans who had survived the war. On May 30th, 1868, the ceremony involved a parade through town that stopped at the cemetery where flags were placed at the graves of fallen soldiers. It was a solemn occasion that residents named "Decoration Day". In his address that day, General Logan would state, "The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country and during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, hamlet, and churchyard in the land. In this observance, no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit."

From that day on, the northern states paused for commemoration annually on May 30th while the southern states would remember their dead on a different day. These ceremonies evolved to include children reading poems and singing civil war songs while veterans would go to schools wearing their medals and uniforms to tell students about their war experiences. Then the veterans would take their traditional march through the streets followed by all the town’s people, still stopping at the cemetery and decorating graves. Photographs of soldiers were taken standing next to the graves of fallen comrades and rifles were shot in the air in salute.

Fast forward to the 20th century and 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed Waterloo, New York, the birthplace of Memorial Day, exactly 100 years after the first commemoration. Since that time, just as they had done before, town’s people still walk to the cemeteries and hold memorial services, decorating graves with flags and flowers. Then they walk back to the park in the middle of town near a monument dedicated to Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines and listen to the reading of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address followed by Retired Major General Logan's Order # 11 designating Decoration Day.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared Memorial Day a federal holiday and changed the day of celebration to the last Monday in May. Since then, cities and towns across the United States have followed the lead of Waterloo, establishing special ceremonies to not only pay respect to the nation’s servicemen and women but also to loved ones who have died. Church services, visits to the cemetery, flowers on graves, or even silent tributes mark the day with dignity and solemnity.

All and all, it’s a day of reflection…a day of remembrance for those who have passed, some having paid the ultimate sacrifice…protecting and securing our nation’s freedoms by laying their lives down for others and a cause greater than themselves.

In reflecting on this matter of sacrifice, I can’t help but also remember what happened more than 2,000 years ago, long before the United States came into existence…long before our Civil War. It too was a time of conflict and hardship…a time of turmoil and change…a time where people battled against one another within a promised land that God had given His chosen people…a time and place when one Man was sent from Heaven to earth to step forward and freely sacrifice Himself in service to humanity, paying the ultimate of all ultimate sacrifices.

This man, Jesus Christ, was the very definition and model of the word “service”, never hesitating to teach, preach, heal, guide, convict, and love anyone He encountered. His life wasn’t about what He could do for Himself – not for wealth He could amass or success and popularity He could gain. Rather, He - empowered by God with His very authority, power and might – willingly chose to make Himself poor so that through His poverty we might be made rich (2 Corinthians 8:9) and in doing so, showed us that it is much better to give than receive (Acts 20:35). Through His willingness to die in our place, Jesus modeled His own words by showing that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for His friends (John 15:13)…and He did view us as His friends even though it was our sins led Him to die for our sake.

Go back and remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. All seemed to be well as He received honor and respect that was normally shown toward kings. The long awaited Messiah who had been predicted since the days of the prophets had come but who could have guessed at that point that the same people who waved palm branches while shouting, "Hosanna, Hosanna!", would soon be shouting "Crucify Him, Crucify Him!"

Indeed, Jesus found few friends present on the day of His crucifixion minus his mother, John, and many other women who had traveled with Him during His ministry. He received no thanks for all He had done for His beloved people…people He healed, taught, exorcised, and even resurrected in a few cases. No, after His arrest, wrongful conviction, bloody beating, and unjust death sentencing, Jesus, the Son of God, was forced to participate in His own death march to Golgotha, known as the Place of the Skull.

Once there, the gathered crowds neither paid Jesus homage or showed an ounce of gratitude. They weren’t ready to witness His death so to one day honor His passing with flowers of sympathy and respect. Rather, they came for the spectacle of His public execution, to see first-hand the death sentence they had demanded from the Roman governor Pilate.

As Jesus carried His own cross to Golgotha, these people lined the streets that He struggled to navigate, spitting on His blood stained body and hurling words of insult and derision. Indeed, the depths of sordid human behavior and failure were on full display as Jesus reached Calvary’s hill where nails would be driven through His hands and feet into the rugged, wooden cross before He was hoisted up to hang in agonizing pain while inching toward death.

But while this was a place typically immersed in the darkness of suffering and death, we know Jesus used it to shine His light brighter than He ever had prior, putting His absolute mercy, compassion, and grace on full display while performing the ultimate act of forgiveness. You’ll remember that He looked to Heaven and asked His Father God to forgive those who had physically and emotionally assailed Him for they knew not what they were doing (Luke 23:34).

And so our Savior Jesus lived, loved, and served through His life and He did so willingly all the while well knowing His fate… knowing that pain, humiliation, betrayal, sadness, and death awaited Him…and yet, He carried on. He could have saved Himself…He could have chosen to desert His mission. But He didn’t for within Himself, He had an incomprehensible love for something greater than Himself…namely us. You see, saving all mankind meant far more than saving Himself…the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the One.

When it was all said and done, Jesus gave up His breath in death on the cross so He could breathe eternal life into a people who were walking down the path of sinful self annihilation. For three days after dying, God resurrected His Son in power, ushering in a sure hope of salvation for anyone who would simply believe in Jesus as Savior (John 3:16).  

In the end translation, Jesus’ crucifixion and subsequent resurrection was the greatest victory in the greatest battle ever fought. His victory over the world, over sin, over death, and over Satan provided us with the opportunity for victory as well…all He requires is that we place our trust in Him.

Not only this Memorial Day - but every day - let us ever remember that Jesus was the One who first showed us the value of sacrificial service...service filled with courage, bravery, valor, and heroism. We must never lose sight that all that we are today, yesterday, and tomorrow is because of Him and we only love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). We also serve because He first served us and only understand sacrifice because He showed us what true sacrifice is all about.

Ultimately, we’re free because He – Jesus - paid the price for us. We live because He died.

Given this, thanks be to God for the indescribable gift of His Only Son (2 Corinthians 9:15).

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.