If this sermon is helpful to you look for my latest book, “The Greatest Commands: Learning To Love Like Jesus.” Each chapter is sermon length, alliterated, and focuses on the life and love of Jesus. You can find it here:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/1606471120
MEMORIAL DAY
Scott Bayles, pastor
First Christian Church, Rosiclare, IL
Well tomorrow is Memorial Day, as I’m sure you all know. To some, Memorial Day is just another holiday, just another day off from work, or just another day that we can go to the lake or have an outdoor barbeque. But to those who have lost someone they love because of war or military action, it’s more than that. It’s Memorial Day—a day set aside to remember those who gave their lives for the freedom we as Americans all share.
No one is really sure when or where Memorial Day had its beginning. In fact, there are more that two dozen cities and towns that claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. What we do know is that it started with the tradition of decorating the graves of soldiers following the Civil War. It was officially recognized by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, and formally observed when flowers were placed on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers in Arlington National Cemetery on May 30, 1868. After World War I, the observance expanded to include not only those who died in the Civil War but those who gave their lives fighting in any war. Tomorrow, all across America people of all ages, ethnic backgrounds and faiths will join together to remember the sacrifice that our service men and women have made in wars past and present so that we can enjoy our freedom—those brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice so that you and I could be here today.
You know, the Bible is full of memorials. The words remember, remembrance, and memorial are found more than 230 times within the leather-bound pages of your Bible. God reminded his children in the Old Testament to remember that they were once salves in Egypt. He commanded them to observe the Passover, as well as other holidays, as a “day of remembrance.” In the New Testament Jesus said that every time we approach the His Table we are to do it in remembrance of Him.
This and every Memorial Day is important to us as Americans and as Christians. It’s important for three reasons. First, Memorial Day is a day for remembering.
• REMEMBERING
As Americans, Memorial Day is an opportunity to remember those brave soldiers who sacrifices their lives defending our country. Jesus once said, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13 NLT). Our service men and women have been willing to do that very thing since the founding of our nation. In the Civil War, 498,000 Northern soldiers were killed, and 133,000 soldiers from the South died. In World War One, 116,000 American soldiers died. In World War Two, 407,000 American soldiers died. 54,000 American soldiers died in Korea, 58,000 died in Vietnam, and 148 died during Desert Storm. As of May 21, 2009 there were 4,299 American Soldiers that have died in Iraq. Of course there were other conflicts and causalities as well. More than a million Americans have died in wars around the world fighting for the freedom that we enjoy in this country.
Many of you here today have probably had friends or relatives who served our country with distinction—who never came home. Keith and Carolyn Maupin know that agony. They raised their son, Matthew, in the suburbs of Cincinnati. He saw the images of 9-11 on the television just as you and I did. But for Matthew it ignited his sense of patriotism and compelled him to enlist in the Army Reserve in 2002. At 6’2”, 220 pounds, with a boot size 15, Matthew was something of a gentle giant among his fellow soldiers. He served in the 724th Transportation Company out of Bartonville, IL. On April 9, 2004, Matthew was reported Missing in Action.
For almost four years his parents, Keith and Carolyn, worked tirelessly to ensure that the search for Matthew and four other missing soldiers remained in the public eye. They founded the Yellow Ribbon Support Center in Cincinnati. They sent care packages to deployed service members. They provided moral support and encouragement to deployed troops and families.
Then on March 29, 2008, Matthew was finally found, but not the way that anyone had hoped. They found what remained of his body and he was brought home. They couldn’t find a church building big enough to hold the crowd for his funeral. So they held the funeral in the Cincinnati Red’s baseball stadium. It was filled to capacity with people who came to honor a soldier that gave his life fighting for the freedom that you and have today. On this Memorial Day, Matthew’s family pauses to remember. We remember too.
Now, as Christians, Memorial Day is also an opportunity to remember Jesus—who sacrificed His life in order to give us eternal life.
Inscribed on just about every communion table I’ve ever seen are the words: “Do this in remembrance of me.” Those words come directly from the mouth of Jesus. The Bible says, “the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24 NKJV).
In a sense, for Christians every Sunday is Memorial Day. Every time we gather around this table, every time we get together as Christians, we remember the sacrifice the Jesus made on our behalf. The world’s greatest memorial isn’t the Lincoln Memorial or the Vietnam War Memorial. It is not even recognized by most historians. It wasn’t designed by a renowned artist and it’s never mentioned in travel magazines. But you don’t have to go on vacation to see it either; rather, it’ll come by you in your pew, right here, every Sunday morning.
God established the Lord’s Supper as a memorial to His crucified Son. Marble slowly crumbles, bronze defaces, dates drop from calendars, biographies go out-of-print; streets are renamed after new heroes. But Christians have used communion as a reminder of the body and blood of Jesus for two thousand years now and we’ll keep doing it until He comes again.
Inscribed at the base of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. are the words: “In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.” In the same way, the Lord’s Supper was begun as a living memorial to enshrine the memory of Jesus in our hearts forever. That’s what Memorial Day is all about—remembering the ones (and the One) who sacrificed it all for our freedom.
Furthermore, Memorial Day is a day for rejoicing.
• REJOICING
As Americans, we can rejoice in the freedom that we have in this country. The men and women, who have given their lives in service of our country, didn’t do so for nothing. They died fighting for the freedom that we enjoy in this country. And it is that freedom that we celebrate on Memorial Day.
We have the freedom to vote for our leadership in this nation. We have the freedom to debate who we should vote for or not to vote for. We even have the freedom to poke fun at those who are running office and we have the freedom to say our peace when they win. Because men and women have died for this country, we have the freedom to preach God’s word freely. We have the freedom to assemble together as Christian and worship the God we love.
I have a T-shirt at home I like to wear. On the back it has a cross with a quote from Romans 1:16: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God the salvation of everyone who believes.” On the front it says: “This shirt is illegal in 51 countries: 40 restricted nations, 11 hostile areas.” And you know what? That’s true. There are 51 countries in the world today where I could be imprisoned or even killed for wearing a shirt with the image of a cross or with the words of Scripture printed on it. Tomorrow, when you’re gathered around a picnic-table with your friends and family, you ought to celebrate and give thanks for the freedom we have here in America.
Atop the hill in Washington, D.C. stands the Capitol Building of the United States of America. The cornerstone was laid in 1793, but the crowning piece is the statue on top of the rotunda known as the “Freedom Lady” that was placed there in 1863. The Freedom Lady, stands nearly 20 feet tall proudly atop the dome. A crest of stars frames her face. A shield of Stars and Stripes is in her left hand.
Sculpted in Rome, “the Lady” was brought to America aboard a sailing ship. During the trip across the Atlantic Ocean, a fierce storm developed. The Captain ordered cargo thrown overboard to lighten the load. The sailors wanted to throw the heavy statue overboard, but the captain refused, shouting over the wind, “No! Never! We’ll flounder before we throw ‘Freedom’ away.” And so, “Lady Freedom” was saved, and the statue stands above the dome today, because one man stood for “Freedom.” Likewise, we can enjoy freedom today as Americans because of the men and women who stood and fell in defense of it.
Now as Christians, we have even more to rejoice about. We can rejoice in the freedom we have in Jesus Christ. As we participate in a day to remember those who died for freedom, it is fitting to remember the One who died to set us free from spiritual tyranny. Jesus fought the armies of Satan that we might have freedom in his holy name. The Bible says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1 NIV).
Jesus died in order to set us free from sin, free from the law, free from death and so much more. The truth is—the only way to experience genuine freedom is through Jesus Christ. Everything else is just the illusion of freedom.
A prisoner in Sydney, Australia tried to escape from jail by climbing underneath the hood of a van delivering bread to the institution. When the van made its next stop, the prisoner sneaked out from under the hood—hot and dirty. He found himself in the yard of another prison just 4 miles from the first. Like that prisoner our own attempts at lasting freedom often leave us in another prison 4 miles down the road of life.
Often our attempts at freedom from our sin and with God leave us dejected, dirty, and in another prison, usually of our own making. That shouldn’t surprise us because we cannot save ourselves. I know it almost sounds anti-American to not encourage you to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. But when it comes to our relationship with God, salvation and freedom comes from what Jesus has done for you, not what you or I might do for Him. We don’t earn God’s love; we are invited to enjoy it, experience it, and to embrace it. Just as our American freedoms have been bought and paid for with the blood of soldiers past and present, our eternal freedom has been bought and paid for with the blood of Jesus Christ. That’s something worth rejoicing over.
Finally, Memorial Day is a day for ringing out the message of God’s saving grace.
• RINGING OUT
One of the most prominent symbols of freedom in the United States is the Liberty Bell, which hangs today in the historic district of Philadelphia. It’s been called an icon of liberty and justice. It’s most famous ringing was on July 8, 1776, when the sound of the Liberty Bell rang out from the tower of Independence Hall summoning citizens to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon. In that historic moment the Liberty Bell fulfilled the purpose designated by its inscription: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” That inscription, of course, is taken from Leviticus 25:10.
The purpose of the bell flows out of God’s Word and so does ours. God has the same purpose for our lives today—to proclaim liberty that is only available through Jesus Christ throughout the world. One of my favorite old hymns growing up was a song written by James Rowe titled “Ring the Message Out”:
There’s a message true and glad for the sinful and the sad;
Ring it out! Ring it out!
It will give them courage new and will help them to be true;
Ring it out! Ring it out!
Ring out the wonderful news that makes men happy and free;
To all the lost of every nation, ring the message out!
No matter where we live in this world—whether we’re American, African, Australian, or Asian—Paul reminds us we have a common need for the free gift that God gives in Jesus Christ. He says, “God makes people right with himself through their faith in Jesus Christ. This is true for all who believe in Christ, because all people are the same: Everyone has sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious standard, and all need to be made right with God by his grace, which is a free gift. They need to be made free from sin through Jesus Christ” (Romans 3:22-24 NCV). As we remember those who fought and died for the cause of freedom, this is the message that Christians everywhere need to ring out this Memorial Day and every day.
CONCLUSION:
At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, the American statesman Patrick Henry uttered the famous phrase, “Give me liberty, or give me death.” It became a slogan for the revolution. Liberty or death. There were no other options. The state motto of New Hampshire, which is on its license plates, reads: “Live free or die.” They take their freedom seriously in New Hampshire.
As Christians we take our freedom seriously but also joyously, so we celebrate Memorial Day not only as day to remember those who gave their lives to give America her freedom, but as day to remember, rejoice and ring out the message of Jesus Christ—who gave His life to guarantee our eternal freedom. Celebrate tomorrow not only as a nation founded on freedom, but as people who have discovered and want to share the ultimate freedom in Jesus. There are no other viable options for lasting freedom. This freedom in Christ calls us to celebrate it, to share and to live it out each day. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free!
Invitation:
If you need to experience the freedom that Jesus offers—if you’ve been struggling with a particular sin or just life in general and you—freedom begins right here in God’s Word. Jesus said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Whatever your need is today—let us know how we can help.
