Thought for Today
Joshua 4:7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the Israelites a memorial forever."
Isaiah 55:13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the LORD for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
John 4:44 (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in the prophet's own country).
Acts 10:4 He stared at him in terror and said, "What is it, Lord?" He answered, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.
Today is Memorial Day. “Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States that honors the military personnel who died while serving the country.” (Bing search) Federal government offices are closed. There will be no mail delivery. Across our great country there will be parades down the main streets of towns and villages. In Veterans Cemeteries there will be flags lovingly planted at each grave marker. Many other cemeteries will also have flags planted at the graves of fallen veterans. Yesterday, as we drove home from church, we saw the public park area of one small town exhibiting numerous standing flag poles, presumably one for each local citizen who had died to defend our country.
Today is not a religious holiday or celebration. Yet, as we look at those memorials, especially in Veterans Cemeteries, it is notable that each grave is marked by a cross, a Star of David, or some other religious sign or symbol, by some ‘emblem of belief.’ Signs, symbols, ‘emblems of belief’ are all important markers of life. They are appropriate memorials to the ideas and ideals which motivate our thoughts, words and actions.
They are, however, merely markers. In and of themselves, when viewed as decorative art or jewelry they lose their true significance. The same is even true of national flags. My own faith tradition is based on the writings of John Calvin. He noted that the true importance of signs and symbols is in what they signify and symbolize. Stripped of their religious symbolism, those stones in the Jordan River would only serve to restrict the flow of the water.
Today is an important day in our nation to honor all who have put their lives in harm’s way and paid the ultimate price. This is a day to honor their sacrifices. This is a day to recognize that our freedoms were won by their sacrifices. As a Christian, I am very aware that my freedom to worship in the manner I deem most suitable and appropriate, without any interference from any government, was won by their sacrifices. I believe that irrespective of the particular faith tradition those veterans espoused (or chose not to espouse), their sacrifice serves as a fitting memorial to their faith, whether faith in God, Allah or merely their faith in their own beliefs.
Does God (or Allah) demand that some of God’s (or Allah’s) children offer their lives as a sacrifice? All of the world’s monotheistic religions accept the story in Genesis 22 of Abraham and Isaac, the sacrifice and ultimately the faith Abraham demonstrated in his words, "22:8 God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." God did provide.
Regrettably, our human history has in the past and continues even today to demonstrate that there are those so perfidious that only the sacrifice of the lives of God’s children can deter their villainy. In a letter written by Thomas Jefferson on November 13, 1787, he wrote, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” (www.monticello.org) That is equally true in 2025.
Today, we honor those who have paid that ultimate price for our freedom. Possibly the best memorial we can raise to their memories would be the lives we choose to live in the freedom they have purchased for us. Yesterday in worship, we prayed “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The most fitting memorial we can create is to make it so by the way we ourselves live.
Stay safe, remember, trust God,
Pastor Ray