Some Gave All

Our church has a tradition on Memorial Sunday of remembering those fallen soldiers who died fighting for our freedoms.  People in the congregation will announce the names of those that they know who died for our country.  It is a solemn tribute to these great heroes.

The man who led today's tribute is a Vietnam Veteran.  He mentioned that those who have fought in a war are not comfortable being called heroes.  They reserve that term only for those who died in the line of duty or as a result of the psychological ravages of war...

When I was a little girl, I remember veterans standing in storefronts on Memorial Day weekend handing out red silk flower boutonnieres and giving out small American flags in honor of those fallen in the various wars.  There was such a sense of honor and pride.

Remembrance is good.  It helps put into perspective the freedoms that we have here in this country, the price that was paid to receive them, and to ensure we don't fall into complacency and lose or worse yet, give up the very freedoms that we gained...

Too often, we as Believers can forget the freedoms that were gained for us through the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross.  Worries and the cares of this world take over, causing us to live in bondage rather than the freedom so lovingly bought for us through the blood of Jesus.

Jon Bloom, Desiring God Ministries, states that Christians are a "memorial people" because the whole of our faith depends upon remembering.  Those who persevere into the glorious future are those who remember the gracious past.  

That’s why God has surrounded us with memorials. The entire Bible itself is a memorial. We meditate on it daily to remember. The Sabbath was a memorial to Israel’s freedom from Egyptian slavery (Deuteronomy 5:15), and the church switched it to Sundays as a memorial to Christ’s resurrection and our freedom from sin. Israel’s great gathering feast days were memorials (Exodus 13:3). And now each time a local church gathers, each Lord’s Supper celebration (1 Corinthians 11:24–26), each baptism, each Christmas celebration, and each Easter celebration is a memorial.

Remembering God’s past grace is necessary to fuel our faith in God’s future grace for us.† This makes the memory one of God’s most profound, mysterious, and merciful gifts granted to us. God designed it to be a means of preserving (persevering) grace for his people. We neglect it at our own peril.

be careful that you do not forget the Lord

Deuteronomy 6:12

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, 

2 Timothy 2:8a

Remember the wondrous works that he has done,

His miracles and the judgments he uttered,

1 Chronicles 16:12

 

Remember his covenant forever,

the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,

1 Chronicles 16:15

On this Memorial Day, while we enjoy picnics and gatherings with our family and friends, may we take a moment to remember those who died for our American freedoms.

And may we start a tradition of becoming Memorial People unto the Lord daily remembering ALL that He did for us on the Cross at Calvary and ALL that He continues to do for us every minute of every day.

How Great Thou Art

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder, 

Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made; 

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, 

Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Chorus:

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, 

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, 

How great Thou art, How great Thou art! 

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander, 

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.

When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur

And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, 

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, 

How great Thou art, How great Thou art! 

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing; 

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in; 

That on a Cross, my burdens gladly bearing, 

He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, 

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, 

How great Thou art, How great Thou art! 

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation, 

And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.

Then I shall bow, in humble adoration, 

And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, 

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, 

How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

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