Memorial Day, Past and Present

 

“That this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ … And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.” Joshua 4:6-7 (NKJV)

The men garbed for war clambered over the rocky ground, their eyes constantly moving left and right, searching for the first sign of trouble. They weren’t under orders to move quickly, but under the circumstances, few of them cared to linger. They overtook the priests who stood nervously in the center of the path. Before the priests could leave their position, Joshua must construct a monument to honor God. The people of Israel passed over to the other side, and God released the waters of the Jordan.

“Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then ye shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; for the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up from before us, until we had crossed over, that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you might fear the Lord your God forever.”

In today’s ever-broadening worldview, it’s difficult to remember why we have memorials. Political correctness says forget about our heritage. Instead, they urge us to think globally, tolerate everyone and everything, and forget about God’s part in America. Our heritage becomes shrouded in fog, and we lose sight of the meaning of things or events, such as Memorial Day.

When a Christian worldview still affected our government, Memorial Day served to remember how others fulfilled God’s plan. The biblical principles of duty, honor, and patriotism built character in Christians and even directed the unchurched. It created Americans’ knowledge of right and wrong and a passionate response when evil manifested itself.

Some of the people responding to the call to arms did so reluctantly, some, however, with a focused purpose. No matter what their personal position was, go they did. And in so doing, many of them laid down their lives for family and friends back home—Americans who hoped for the nation’s future.

America’s past lies in the deaths of those who laid down their lives in defense of freedom and liberty. Our present honors our past by our act of remembering those heroes. Our future lies in the hope Christ demonstrated when he laid down his life so you and I could once again be called a friend of God.

Let us now, as a unified body of Christ, stand silently. Let us build a spiritual memorial in our hearts to show our children this Memorial Day exists to honor those who died in service to our country. They died so we have the freedom to accept God’s love—died so we always remember to glorify God.