May 26, 2013 NOTES NOT EDITED
Memorial Day: Why Remember?
Selected Texts
SIS—There are many good reasons why we should
“remember” those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.
As those who are
regular members and attenders of FBC, you know I am a “Bible preacher.” I normally take a portion of the Bible
explain, expand it, and apply it. I
don’t often do topical sermons, except on special holidays. Today is such a time and so this morning’s
message with be a little different. I really want you to feel the struggle and
emotion I went through as I prepared this Memorial Day sermon. Hopefully, we will come away with good, Biblically-based reasons for
why we should remember those who have died in battle.
One of the most
significant holidays of the year is Memorial Day. It is the “symbolic” start of the summer
vacation. If the weather cooperates
Memorial Day will be celebrated under the sun with food, family, and
games.
NOTE:
It occurs every year on the final Monday
of May. Memorial Day is a day of
remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed
Forces. Formerly known as Decoration
Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and
Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century Memorial
Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the
military service
NOTE: On Memorial Day the flag of the United States
is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the
half-staff position, where it remains only until noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the
remainder of the day. The half-staff
position remembers the more than one million men and women who gave their lives
in service of their country. At noon their memory is raised by the living, who
resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up in their stead
and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all.
Memorial Day is not a
“holy Sabbath” or religious holiday as with Christmas, celebrating Christ’s
birth, or Easter celebrating Christ’s death, or proscribed Biblical
celebrations like Passover. It is more a
“civil holiday” that is part of the American culture.
That is not to say
the Bible does not support the celebration of those who gave their lives in
defense of others. The Bible actually
says a lot about “memorials.” God wisely
knows how quickly mankind forgets the lessons of the past and repeats mistakes
in the present. The Passover was a designated memorial (Ex. 12:14). The storing of two
quarts of manna was a prescribed memorial for Israel (Ex. 16:32). Other memorials included the “stones in the Ephod, or breastplate of the
priests (Ex. 28:12), the fringes on the
garments of devout Israelites (Num. 15:39), the censers, or fire pans, used in the Temple ceremony, the twelve stones of Joshua (Jos. 4:7), and
Joshua’s memorial stone erected shortly
before he died (Jos. 24:27). The N.T.
adds one memorial that sort of sums up all memorials: the Lord’s
Supper.
While there is no
specific command to observe “memorial day” service to honor men and women who
have fallen on the battlefield, the importance of remembering such important
events and experiences is a significant part of the Bible’s story. Because, mankind tends to “forget”
significant events and experiences, the Bible teaches it is proper and helpful
to set up appropriate memorials.
I can think of no
more appropriate and helpful memorial established in our day and time than
Memorial Day, and I’ll give 3 reasons
why.
1. Because GRATITUDE is an
important virtue. (Col 3:14-16)
I have been
struggling with this issue of “Memorial Day” all weak. As I was doing research for this message, I
viewed hundreds of images associated with Memorial Day. In my study I came upon this picture (Title Slide) that I am using
today. The war that most shaped my life was the Viet Nam War. I remember the daily images on T.V. of row
upon row of caskets with the body of young men being returned to American
soil. The Viet Nam War captivated the
T.V. airwaves. The official start date of the war is now 1 November 1955, six
months before I was born. It ended with
the fall of Saigon, 30 April 1975, two months before I enlisted in the
Navy. It is America’s longest war. I literally grew up with it. Seven names are on the wall of young men from
Moundsville, WV. WV had the highest
casualty rate of any state.
So, the images in the
wall of the Viet Nam Memorial haunt me.
They gripped my soul and would not let go. Here we have a generation of men forever enclosed in a wall, upon which their names
are inscribed. They for the most part,
young men, who never had the opportunities to raise a family, enjoy a career,
or “ironically” ever again celebrate Memorial Day. They are “frozen in time,” forever young.
I am like that man on
the other side of the wall. I am not
young. I have, and am raising, a
family. I have and continue to enjoy a
career. I will enjoy the Memorial Day
celebration. It makes me stop and think,
why am I on this side of the wall, and not “frozen in time as a casualty of
war?” I admit, the thought makes me shed
a tear. What I enjoy, I enjoy in a large
part to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for my freedom. While I enjoy food, family, fun, and games,
they remain names inscribed in a wall.
Wrestling with a flood of feelings I scratched out these words to try to
get a handle on what I was feeling:
What
if I were a name on the wall,
Would
it really matter at all?
Amidst
the times of laughter, food, and games,
Would
anybody really stop to remember my name.
“Freedom
isn’t free,” I heard someone say,
But
so many ignore the reason for this day.
Fun
and family and freedom for sure,
Were
the reasons I fought, and so much more.
Am
I now just a name on the wall?
Does
it really matter at all? // It is not glory and honor I seek,
But
merely a nod to those who now sleep.
We
willingly gave to gain freedom for all,
But,
please don’t let us be, // Only names on the wall.
So, my Memorial Day
message this morning is “our nod to those who now sleep.” For me, the answer to “Why Remember?” is
first and foremost a matter of simple
gratitude for those who paid the ultimate price for my freedom. The Bible tells me that “gratitude” is an
important, an essential virtue, of the Christian life. Colossians 3 exhorts
us, thusly:
14 Above all, put on love—the perfect
bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of the Messiah, to which
you were also called in one body,
control your hearts. Be thankful. 16 Let the message about the
Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all
wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your
hearts to God.
There is something
particularly unappealing in someone who is not “grateful” for what they have
received at the expense of others. Is
this not especially true of the freedom we have received at the expense of
those who died in battle? Why
remember? It’s a matter of simple
gratitude. Remembering is also
2. essential to a proper ATTITUDE.
(Phil. 2:6-8)
REWRITE: I believe that the downfall of our nation can
be traced to a “rotten attitude.”
Specifically, and attitude of “getting” rather than an attitude of
“giving.” An attitude of self-centeredness
rather than an attitude of sacrifice.
Someone has pointed
out that democracies have not lived long upon this earth because quickly 51
percent realize they can vote to take what belongs to the 49 percent. The result is a society in which the “takers”
quickly outstrip the “givers” and the society devours itself. We see this happening today.
Prior to the last
couple of generations, our national mindset was an attitude of giving, contributing,
and yes, sacrificing. In fact, the name
sociologists give to the generation born about 1901-1945 is the “Builder
Generation.” These were people we had
and attitude of “giving and doing” not “taking and lounging.” These were some of the most successful years
in our nation’s history. The generation
that followed, the Boomer Generation (my generation), still held much of the
values of the Builder Generation—an attitude that highly valued production and
sacrifice.
When two World Wars
threatened our freedom, the Builder Generation lined up to enlist to defend the
country. Over one half million deposited
their lives on foreign soil to defend and secure our nation’s freedom. Many lied about their ages so that they could
enlist before graduation from high school.
A patriotic attitude ruled this generation. An attitude of duty and sacrifice.
This attitude
continued through the Korean and Viet Nam era.
Of course, many were drafted,
but they still served with distinction and devotion. Certainly, others enlisted in Korea and Viet
Nam because of the attitude that highly valued service and sacrifice. One very moving story is that of the Morenci
Nine during Viet Nam.
Morenci
is a small copper mining town in the middle of nowhere in rural Arizona—and I
mean nowhere! I’ve been there to watch a
high school football game. This town has
about 1800 residents. Perhaps the most
famous are nine graduates of the class of ’66.
These nine graduates—a significant majority of the graduating class in
high school with only a total of about 300 or so students.
Nine joined the
marines. Nine went to Viet Nam. Six never returned alive. There’s a saying in regard to war, “All give some, some give all.” Six of the Morenci Nine gave it “all.”
One of the three to
return, Leroy Cisneros, once said of their service,
“We were just trying to keep the tradition, do our part.” That’s an attitude that has for
the most part evaporated from the pool of American thought. “Do your part, carry your weight, give back.” This was an attitude that once defined our
nation. It is an attitude we all should
strive to have—and attitude of humble, sacrificial service. An attitude of “contribution, not
consumption.”
Why remember on this
day? To remind us of the “attitude” that
honors a nation, indeed honors Our Lord.
An attitude of sacrifice and service.
That’s what we remember on Memorial Day.
The Bible instructs us in regard to such an attitude:
Phil
2 6 who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own
advantage. 7 Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of
a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His
external form, 8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the
point of death—even to death on a cross.
“Assuming the form of
a slave” is not something that appeals very much to the modern American
psyche. I must admit, it doesn’t taste
so sweet in my mouth when I say it. An
attitude of service and sacrifice leads us down a very difficult and
challenging path. It goes against our
nature—our sinful nature. Even though we
know the Bible says “It is more blessed to give than receive”(Acts 20:35), we spend
an enormous amount of our time and energy trying to “get more stuff.”
Remembering those who
gave their lives for our present pleasures, helps us move toward an “attitude
contribution” and away from and “attitude of consumption.”
So, why
remember? First and foremost for me it
is about simple gratitude—saying thanks to those who died in my stead. Second, it is to help stimulate the right
attitude—giving instead of getting, contribution rather than consumption. There is another valuable reason for
observing Memorial Day:
3. Fortitude. (1Sam 17:37)
Over the years I’ve
read some fabulous stories about real American heroes on the battlefield. I watched some great movies about the
unconquerable resolve of the American Warrior.
John Wayne movies like, The The
Flying Tigers, Sands of Iwo Jima, or Fort Apache, with describing the
heroism of WWII, or The Green Berets, describing
the heroes of Viet Nam. Or, Heartbreak
Ridge, with Clint Eastwood, chronicling the heroic efforts in a bloody battle
during the Invasion of Granada. These
movies always instill in me a feeling of pride, and perhaps even
invincibility. There is no Armed Forces
on earth comparable to the U.S. military.
Technically, America
has never lost a war. Politicians have
mismanaged more than a few conflicts, and we have lost a few battles, but we
have never surrendered. Afghanistan will
likely turn out much like Viet Nam in the end, but it won’t be because we
cannot defeat them, but it will be because Washington, DC, lacks the resolve to
defeat the enemy. In the wars fought by
Generals and not politicians, we always come out on top. Victory is always
assured.
Fortitude is defined
as mental and emotional strength in
facing difficulty, adversity, danger, or temptation courageously. Fortitude is confidence in the face of
the enemy. It is resolve in the time of
challenge. Fortitude is bolstered by a
history of victory.
Nothing builds
fortitude like victory. The fact that we
have lost over a million Americans in wars defending our freedom is a testimony
of our fortitude. The price for our
freedom has been very high—anybody who has lost a loved one in war, especially
a tender age, knows just how costly freedom really is. I always like to remind people as they look
at the Grand Old Flag, there is a reason the stripes are red.
Every
monument marking the grave of an American warrior, whether in Arlington, Virginia,
or Normandy Beach in France, is a reminder to the world of America’s fortitude
and resolve. When our freedom is
threatened, we will send our very best, and we will pay the ultimate price if
need be. The symbol for our indomitable
spirit is not a Musket or M-1, a tank or a fighter jet, but the symbol of
American fortitude and resolve is the “grave marker.” It reminds the world that there is no price we
will not pay for our freedom.
We have lost many a
soldier, airman, sailor, and marine—but we have
never lost a war! Our fortitude
derives from a clear understanding of our history—a history of victory in the
face of sometimes insurmountable odds.
The is so true in
regard to the spiritual battle of life—and life is mostly spiritual. The symbol that breeds fortitude and resolve
in the life of a believer is not “crown, or a shield, or a sword,” but an
“empty grave.” A familiar hymn reminds
us:
An
empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.
And because He lives,
I too will live. Because He conquered
death, I will conquer death. My
fortitude in displaying my faith comes from “remembering” what Jesus Christ has
already accomplished through His death and resurrection. Victory is assured. That builds fortitude.
Why remember? It will build fortitude. Every week Jonathan goes through a class
called “Heritage.” This class outlines
the remarkable history of the U.S. Navy—the greatest navy sailing the high
seas. The purpose is to instill pride
and confidence—fortitude—in the minds of young men and women who may one day
find themselves in a life and death firefight with the enemy.
Why remember those
who died? Fortitude: confidence in the face of great challenge
comes from remembering those who overcame similar challenges. The Bible says much about this type of
remembrance that breeds fortitude:
1Sam 17 37 Then
David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of
the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Our fortitude is
built upon centuries of victories through God’s providential power. God has
never let us down—and never will.
So, here we are
celebrating a “secular holiday.” But,
God’s sovereignty covers the secular, as well as the sacred. The Bible gives us ample reasons for why we
should observe Memorial Day. Why
remember? It is a matter of simple
gratitude. It is a means to develop a
proper attitude, and it will build a much needed fortitude.
What
if I were a name on the wall, // Would it really matter at all?
Amidst
the times of laughter, food, and games,
Would
anybody really stop to remember my name.
“Freedom
isn’t free,” I heard someone say,
But
so many ignore the reason for this day.
Fun
and family and freedom for sure,
Were
the reasons I fought, and so much more.
Am
I now just a name on the wall?
Does
it really matter at all? // It is not glory and honor I seek,
But
merely a nod to those who now sleep.
We
willingly gave to gain freedom for all,
But,
please don’t let us be, // Only names on the wall.
Let’s Pray.