Matthew 28:20 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The Gifts of Fallen Soldiers
The origins of Memorial Day has drifted from public consciousness as have many sacrifices that our fellow Americans have made that we might be free.
For most Americans Memorial Day is just another holiday and has no real meaning.
After this acknowledgement of the fallen we return to our daily monotonous routines of emails, paychecks, diaper changes, commutes and deadlines. We take for granted the luxuries we enjoy that came through the sacrifices of soldiers of the past and yes the present.
We moderns have become very shallow and we seldom reflect on the sacrifices of others or the need of the traditions we have.
The is a group of Americans that are generational in their service to our nation. Their fathers and grandfathers fought and died. They are a minority now as patriotism becomes yet one more casuality of our cultural decline.
We as fallen humans have a very bad habit of forgetting that we are image bearers of God. In our sin we also struggle to stay focused on Christ. That is why the Person of the Holy Spirit came after our Lord ascended to the right hand of God the Father.
Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we have a helped to help us live a more Christlike life.
In our daily routines we forget the greatness of our merciful, loving, holy God. We sit in the pews every Sunday yet we forget the Lord’s work and word as we exit the building. We recite prayers without meditation on the one to whom we speak.
We may forget the sacrifices of the fallen but our Lord does not. Every day we must pray for the strength and ability to bind the remembrance of Christ into our hearts. Yet when we can't our lord Jesus always remebers us. Even as the names of his fallen, forgiven people fade into history, the Lord knows them, remembers their sacrifice, and brings them near to himself.
Here is a brief history of MemorialDay:
"Memorial Day weekend is among the busiest for travel in the United States and the unofficial start of summer; a day for cookouts, beach trips and auto races. But how did Memorial Day, held on the last Monday of May in honor of America’s war dead, begin?
Here is a refresher:
Honoring the Civil War dead
The holiday grew out of the Civil War, as Americans — Northern, Southern, Black and white — struggled to honor the staggering numbers of dead soldiers, at least 2 percent of the U.S. population at the time. Several places lay claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. One of the earliest accounts comes from Boalsburg, Pa., where, in October 1864, three women are said to have placed flowers and wreaths on the graves of men who had died serving the Union during the Civil War..." from the article: The Tangled Roots of Memorial Day and Why It’s Celebrated
Memorial Day 2023 - We Remember
Video from Wes O'Donnell
"Written, shot, and narrated by Wes O'Donnell. This Memorial Day, remember the fallen." from video introduction