Every Sunday is a Memorial Day
1 Corinthians 11:24
dsw@ucc05-26-02
“Memorial Day is an official holiday in most states of 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. With the exception of Louisiana, all states observing Memorial Day adopted the change. It is also known as Decoration Day.
The custom of placing flowers on the graves of the 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 A. Logan, then president of the Grand Army of the Republic, declared that May 30 would be a day to decorate with “flowers the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion.”
After World War I the day was set aside to honor the of all American wars, and the custom was extended to pay homage to deceased relatives and friends, both military and civilian. The most solemn ceremony conducted on Memorial Day is the placing of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns located in Arlington national Cemetery.
Some Southern states observe Confederate Memorial Day--April 26 in Georgia, the last Monday in April in Alabama and Mississippi, and May 10 in South Carolina. Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina do not observe the general holiday, and in Virginia the last Monday in May is called Confederate Memorial Day.”
From the Encyclopedia Americana, 1991 edition
Tomorrow we will celebrate this day. Many people see it as just a day off; 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 out of his patriotic duty to his country and in honor of those who spilled their blood to make America what she is today--free, strong, and a nation worth fighting for.
Because men 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. Thank God for those who died to make us free.
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 is a celebration of the Memorial of Christ. Let’s parallel our nations Memorial Day with the memorial day of Christ. Because for the Christian, every Sunday is a memorial day.
On Memorial Day we
1-Mourn the Loss
2-Remember the Lives
3-Are thankful for the Sacrifice
In light of Christ’s battle, let’s examine evidence of our memorial in Him as we recognize the likeness of our celebration of our military.
On Memorial Day we
1-Mourn the Loss
We remember the loved ones who died, wish they were here and not gone; here to share with us, to hold, to talk to and to see. But because of death, we can not.
When people die, we naturally think of the “If Only’s”
“If only I had told him I loved him”;
“If only I had kissed her one last time”;
“If only I hadn’t spoken so harshly”.
We replay those doubts over and over in our minds. but we ultimately know those “If Only’s” would not change a thing.
On the Lord’s Memorial Day, we are to examine our responsibility to Christ’s . The Christian must recognize that he is very responsible for His death. “If only we had not sinned he would not have had to die.”
But we are to blame. We must examine ourselves as we meet around his memorial as if we would stand before a mirror and realize the truth in ...
Rom 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
I am the one to blame. I caused all his shame. He was publicly humiliated, beaten, spit upon, treated as a sinner because I am a sinner.
As we mourn the loss of Christ, 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.
Matt 18:12-14
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, I tell you the truth, 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 be lost.
We are that lost sheep and Jesus found us.
Mourning the loss is the first thing we must do as we celebrate the memorial of our Lord. This is why Jesus gave us the bread. At communion. The first thing you do with the bread as you partake of this memorial is break it. Whether you physically break it with your hands or you chew it, you break the body of Christ. Just as our sin broke the physical body of Christ.
On Memorial Day we:
1-Mourn the Loss and
2-Remember the Lives
Part of our emotional healing in the process of grief is to rember the lives of the loved one who has passed.
The headstones we put on the graves are a testimony of who those people were. I took a walk in our own cemetery and there were some remembrances of those who died. Let me share with you some epitaphs I found.
Gone So Soon
Beloved Sons (on a stone of twins who died near the same time)
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
A Tender Mother and a Faithful Friend
Go Spirit, Go Thy Way
Savior, More Than Life to Me
At Rest
Asleep in Jesus
The Lord Is My Shepherd, I Shall Not Want
Life’s Work Well Done She Rests in Peace
Age 64, 7 months, 9 days At Rest
All of these messages tell us a little about the one who is buried under that headstone. Likewise the epitaph that Jesus left tells us something about him. Inscribed on just about every communion table I have ever seen are the words found in
1 Cor 11:24
24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."
What must we remember about Jesus?
To answer I would like suggest that he would like us to remember how He lived and what he taught through His life. He set a glowing example of how to live in love. Our life should reflect that love.
The bread that we first have broken is a reminder of the body of Christ. We are vividly reminded each time we observe this memorial that we are a part of the body of Christ.
When we physically eat this bread it becomes a part of our body. Our body uses this bread for our nourishment.
But Jesus doesn’t only want us just to be physically nurtured as we meet around the table but he also wants us to be spiritually edified.
This remembering is not simply the recalling of historical facts, it’s a participation in spiritual realities.
At the Lord’s Table we don’t walk around the monument and admire it. We have fellowship with a living Savior as our hearts reach out by faith.
If we approach this memorial in the proper attitude we will experience spiritual growth. Just as our physical body grows when fed properly.
The opposite is also true. If we approach the table in a haphazard manner then we take
something that is of the highest of religious ceremonies and make a mockery of it. And there will be Hell to pay for the one who cares not for what his Savior has done
1 Cor 11:27-29
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.(kjv)
I remember the first time I heard this verse. My father read it during a communion meditation. I have not taken communion in the same way since.
Christians, do not make light of this Memorial Feast. “Do this in remembrance of Him”
On Memorial Day we
1-Mourn the Loss
2-Remember the Lives
3-Are Thankful for the Sacrifice
ILLUSTRATION from “Stories from the Heart”
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. When he was safely in the trenches, they resumed 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 it is today. We are free. We are wealthy and we are respected around the world..
I am proud to be an American and I have the luxuries of this country because men have died to give me what I have.
Similarly the price Jesus paid afforded us salvation. We have the promise of salvation and we did nothing to afford this luxury. For this we must be thankful. This is why Jesus have us the cup.
1 Cor 11:25
25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my ; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
When we drink the juice, we remember our forgiveness. It is the blood of Jesus that He spilt in order to clean our hearts from sin.
The old hymn says it best:
Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you walking daily by the Savior’s side? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Do you rest each moment in the Crucified? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean, O be washed in the blood of the Lamb.
Are you washed in the blood , in the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
If you listen to Phil Goodwin’s prayer around the table just about every time he prays for the cup he refers to this next verse.
Heb 9:13-14
13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.
14 How much more, then, will the of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to , so that we may serve the living God!
When you were immersed, a lost, unclean sinner stepped into the baptistery. The preacher announced your intent and declared that he was baptizing you for the forgiveness of your sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the promise of eternal life.
3 unmerited gifts given to you. the grace of God was poured out onto you. Now that is something to be thankful for!
I hope that after today’s message you will make time to spend around the Memorial of Christ.
1-Mourn the loss of the body of Christ and examine your responsibility to it as you break the bread.
2-Remember the life of Jesus as you compare your life with his. Eat the bread and realize that you are one with his body.
3-Be thankful for His sacrifice because it is through His that you are saved; partake of the cup and be thankful for His sacrifice that offered your forgiveness.
This Memorial Day, remember your Savior and His Memorial.
Perhaps the Memorial we observed today is unfamiliar to you. Maybe you are outside of Christ.
You can have the forgiveness that is promised to all and claimed by few.
