Build Your Own Memorial
Sunday, May 25, 2008 – AM
By Pastor Jim May
Tomorrow is a Memorial Day across the United States. The observance of Memorial Day for those killed in the line of duty, defending our country, began after the Civil War. The Grand Army of the Republic began honoring the soldiers who had died for the Union on May 30, 1868. It wasn’t called Memorial Day then. It was called Decoration Day.
Of course there was still a lot of hatred between the North and the South in those days so the former Confederate soldiers refused to use the same date to honor their fallen comrades because it was too close to the date of the surrender of the Confederate Army at Appomattox. So the south used various dates each year to have its own version of Decoration Day.
It wasn’t until after World War I that the American Legion became the guiding hand to create a nationally observed Decoration Day in honor all American soldiers killed in the line of duty, and it began to be called Memorial Day. Finally, they established the last Monday in May as the day of observance nationwide, though there are still a few southern states that have their own Memorial Day separate from everyone else.
The wounds of that great conflict nearly 150 years ago still fester in the minds and hearts of a few diehard people who refuse to let go of the past and move on. Somehow they still believe that the South is going to rise again. It’s just a small nail in the structure of divisions that are a part of our culture, and it’s mostly fueled by nostalgia.
Maybe some of you have seen old veterans standing at the cross roads, or at the entrance to stores and malls, and they are taking donations for wounded veterans and handing out red paper poppies in return. Have you ever wondered why they give red poppies?
These little red flowers are given out because in all of the military cemeteries established in France after the great world wars, real red poppies bloomed over every grave. It became a symbol of the sacrifice in blood of all veterans and the VFW began their “poppy sales” in 1922 to raise money for the disabled and destitute veterans. In those days there was no Department of Veterans Affairs and soldier were left pretty much on their own with only a small disability pension to survive on. Though limited benefits were available to many veterans from the time of the American Revolution, and they did increase somewhat over the years, the VA as we know it was not fully operational until 1930.
On Memorial Day, a wreath of flowers is laid upon the grave of the Unknown Soldiers at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia; small American Flags are placed on all the graves in National Cemeteries, and in many of the private cemeteries as well. There are speeches, parades and patriotic programs. In our own community there is usually a Memorial Day Program at the park on Irma Street.
It’s a good thing to remember the sacrifice of those who have given their lives in service to our country. Some of us here this morning are veterans of various conflicts. Wherever you served, and in whatever capacity you served, we honor you this morning.
(Have all Veterans stand and be recognized)
All of us who are here and can stand to be recognized this morning served our nation. But we do not consider ourselves having to sacrifice anything for our country. It was, and is, our duty to serve, and we are both proud and honored to make our contribution to this great nation. But Memorial Day is not just to honor the contributions of the living, it is to remember and greatly honor the full sacrifice that was made by those who laid down their lives on the field of battle. It is they who gave their all and we honor them today.
I read this little poem and it really tells the truth. You see;
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.
So, in honor of all those who are fallen on the fields of battle, defending and serving our great nation. There is something I want us to do this morning. Would you all stand with me as we observe a few moments of remembrance for all who have given their lives for our country. (Play Taps)
You may be seated.
Now as I think about all the memorials that are placed in our nation and around the world I think that it’s a good thing to stop and reflect on what it took to bring us to where we are today. Memorials are good, but they truly serve their purpose when they have an impact on your future.
To just remember something without allowing its purpose to be fulfilled in your life is useless. If America can’t understand the cost of freedom by looking at the many thousands of white crosses in the great cemeteries, then there is little hope that we can change the future.
Now looking at all of this from the perspective of a Christian, we must be also be aware that we are in the process of creating memorials right now. Your life and your service to God are the greatest memorial that you could ever build.
Do you know that your prayers and intercession are a memorial of your service unto the Lord? In the Bible there was a Centurion of the Roman Army, living in Israel, whose dedication and commitment to Christ became a memorial to God.
Acts 10:1-4, "There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God."
If God proclaims, through an angel of God, that the prayers, tithes, offerings and gifts to the poor, given with a heart of love, compassion and dedication to God’s people and his kingdom, which were given by a Roman soldier, are counted as a memorial unto him, then God will do the same for all of us!
In fact, it was the prayers and giving of this Centurion, and God’s honoring of those things that caused Peter to make one of the most profound statements in the Bible.
Acts 10:34-35, "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him."
From those words of Peter we can know that God not only hears our prayers and sees our commitment to him, but every prayer, and everything that we give unto the work of the Lord, is recorded in Heaven and rises as a memorial before God.
Just think about it. You are building your own memorial in Heaven right now. God remembers those prayers in the wee hours of the morning. He remembers every time you call out to him to touch a neighbor, or save a sin-sick soul. He remembers every time the offering plate comes around and you cast in your gifts, whether large or small. Each little act of kindness and mercy are added to your memorial before God.
You may not have even thought much about it when you donated that dollar to a kid at Wal-Mart who was raising money for his baseball team or his church youth group, but God added it to your memorial. You didn’t even consider it when you held the door for someone who was using crutches, or greeted a visitor as they walked into the church door, but God noticed, and he added each little act of kindness, given out of a heart of compassion, love and mercy, to your memorial that you are building in Heaven.
Is your memorial growing? I know that the memorial being built for you in Heaven isn’t like the stone memorials that we build for heroes on the earth, but what if they were? What if, when you get to heaven, in front of every mansion that God has built for each of his children, there is a literal memorial standing? That memorial is only as big as your commitment to Christ, the prayers you’ve prayed and the acts of love and kindness that you have shown. How big is your memorial going to be?
I believe we could see some pretty big memorials on the front lawn of some of our homes. God sees so much more than I can, but even I can see that some of you are great givers, not just in tithes and offerings, but of your time, your knowledge, and your abilities. I believe that you have a pretty big memorial before God right now, and that it’s growing bigger all the time.
And there are a few others here whose memorials aren’t so big. If the grass on the front lawn of your mansion on Golden Avenue grows a few inches too high, you won’t be able to see your memorial. You might have to pull out your Echo weed eater every once in a while so we all see your memorial. Wouldn’t that be a tragedy, to have the only echoing sound of a weed eater on the whole block? I know that’s a strange thing to say, but in reality, I think that some of us really don’t have much of a memorial before God.
The fact is that every prayer and every act of kindness is recorded in the books of Heaven and in the mind of God. He never forgets anything except the sin that we confess in repentance. Everything else in life is a part of that memorial in one form or another.
But the memorial of your life before God isn’t just going to sit in Heaven and wait for you to arrive so you can receive your Heavenly reward. The memorial that you are building before the Lord has a very real purpose right now. It serves as your witness and your testimony before the whole world.
Notice what the memorial of the Centurion accomplished in his own life. I’m not going to take time to read the verses, but let me tell you the story.
This Centurion, Cornelius by name, was a Gentile, dedicated and committed to serving God. He had long since renounced his belief in Caesar as his god, and professed to everyone around him that he loved the God of Israel. He did not know about Jesus, but he knew that there was something different about the God of Israel. Cornelius was known for his kindness and generosity. His heart was right with God and his actions proved it before all men.
God honored Cornelius and sent an angel to tell him so. His memorial had grown pretty large before God and God wanted to bless Cornelius in return.
In the meantime, God had already began working on Peter, preparing him through a vision of a sheet coming down out of Heaven with all sorts of creatures and animals on it that were unclean according to the Law of Moses. Peter, being a good Jew, could not eat those kinds of animals, but God told him, in the vision, to rise, kill and eat. Three times this sheet came down, until finally Peter yielded to God’s will. At that moment, messengers from Cornelius arrived and brought Peter back to the Centurion’s home.
Because of the memorial of prayer, and the memorial of kindness and love that Cornelius had built before God, his family and household heard the gospel, learned of Jesus Christ and his power to save, and all of them were saved and filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues.
So, as I come to the close of this message this morning, I want you to ever be mindful that you are building a memorial before God every day that you live. What kind of memorial are you building and how big is it in the eyes of God?
Secondly, for the sake your soul and the souls of your family, don’t stop building it. Get to work. Stay in an attitude of prayer and intercession for your family and friends. Allow your life to be an example of love, generosity and kindness so that everyone around you will see your memorial.
Memorials that we build on this earth will one day disappear, never to be remembered again. But memorials that we build before God will last forever. Build your memorial and let it stand before God as a great reminder of the life that you lived for him.
Finally, as we come to the close of this service, there is one more memorial that we want to observe today. It is the observance of the Lord’s Supper, and the remembrance of what Jesus did for us upon the cross. It was there that the greatest memorial to love and sacrifice that this world will ever know, was created as Jesus died for you and for me.
Let us prepare to partake of the Communion as the ushers come:
Before we begin to eat or drink, let us search our hearts.
1 Corinthians 11:26-31, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."
To observe this memorial unworthily is a dangerous and deadly thing. The Scriptures bear out the fact that if we do not take this memorial seriously that it can lead to premature physical death and spiritual condemnation. To be found worthy simply means that we must make our heart right with God, confess our sin, and ask his forgiveness, then observe this memorial as a very serious and meaningful thing. So let us pray and make all things right with God before we begin.
1 Corinthians 11:23-24, "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me."
Prayer
1 Corinthians 11:25, "After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me."
Sing while the cups are gathered and then announce the singing tonight at 6 PM. Those who want to sing are requested to come at 4:30 to practice. If you want to sing please let Sis. May know before you leave this morning, or at least 15 minutes before service tonight. We will have refreshments after the singing tonight.
