Memorial Day 2007

Verse 24 and following goes on to list the rest of the “Mighty Men.”

Do you wonder why the Spirit of God moved the writers of Scripture to include the names and exploits of the freedom fighters of Israel in this book? Could it be to give honor where honor is due? Could it be that He wanted you and me, many hundreds, even thousands of years later to know them and respect them for their efforts to preserve His plan for the ages?

A long time ago a woman named Moina Michael wrote this short poem:

“We cherish…the Poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led,

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies.”

This morning we are here to honor and somberly celebrate the “blood of heroes”. We should never forget that:

It is the soldier, not the reporter,

Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet,

Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,

Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier,

Who salutes the flag,

Who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag,

Who allows the protester to burn the flag.

Our freedom today is because of soldiers, men and women who have fought and died for the freedom we enjoy today.

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. It traces its roots back to 1868 when General John Logan, of the Grand Army of the Republic, declared May 30th as a day of remembrance. Flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The day was originally called “Decoration Day.” It is sometimes called “Poppy Day” because artificial red poppies, which were made by disabled veterans, are sold. The money is used to benefit servicemen in need. In December of 2000, Congress passed a resolution which asks all Americans “to voluntarily and informally observe a Moment of Remembrance and respect,” at 3:00 local time.

Tomorrow is the official Memorial Holiday. Many people see it as just 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 in honor of those who spilled their blood to make America what she is today—free, strong, and a nation worth fighting for.

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, on Sunday, we celebrate the Memorial of Christ and a reflection of what He has done for us. We can’t walk into a church service without remembering the sacrifice He {Jesus} made for us.

For the Christian every Sunday is a Memorial Day.

All the heroic acts on battlefields throughout history have made our country what it is today. We enjoy freedom and wealth that are un-equaled. But our freedom and our luxuries have come at a great price. We enjoy freedom in America because men/women have died for our country. The cost of freedom is blood. We never need to forget that.

In a similar way, Jesus gave his life to set us free from the slavery of sin and death. For this we must be eternally thankful.

Galatians 3:13 – “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"),”

On January 1, 1863 during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln issued a famous document called the Emancipation Proclamation. It declared freedom for slaves in all areas of the confederacy that were still in rebellion against the Union.

Part of it reads this way: “That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slave within any state, or designated part of a state, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be thenceforward, and forever free…”

This eventually led to the 13th amendment to the Constitution. This amendment, which became law on December 18, 1865, ended slavery in all parts of the United States.

In Galatians 3:13 the Bible declares in bold letters that an Emancipation Proclamation has been issued for all mankind that has set us free from bondage.

You and I can enjoy freedom from sin; freedom from the bondage of satan because Jesus paid a price for our freedom. Jesus paid with His own blood.