Honoring Precious Lives
May 25, 2008 (Sunday)
Tomorrow is the day we observe Memorial Day, a solemn occasion designed to honor those who have died in the service of their country. This year finds us still at war, with the list of those who have died to date becoming longer. Tomorrow’s blog on Memorial Day will be a repeat of the blog of July 4, 2007, which includes items which I hope will be a source of comfort and inspiration to us as citizens and as family and friends of those who have given their lives in all the wars our nation has fought.
Memorials to Americans who have died in the defense of freedom can be found all over the world. The sun never sets on the graves of those who have “given the last full measure of sacrifice.”
War Memorials, wherever found, stand as quiet reminders that people die in wars. They also remind us that many of the wounded are disabled for life. And, as we gaze upon the memorial, be it a statue, a stone wall, or a small grave marker, we think of the millions of people who grieve the loss of loved ones in the wars we have had.
There are also Living Memorials: people who are dedicated to the ideals upon which this nation was founded: Democracy, Liberty of Conscience, and Equality before the Law. We honor the war dead by dedicating ourselves to the preservation of the principles for which they died, and so become “Living Memorials.”
Spiritual Memorials also speak volumes about our feelings on this weekend. Our worship is such a memorial, honoring and exalting the death of God’s only Son, who shed His blood for our eternal salvation, and preaching forgiveness, acceptance and peace. Our daily lives, as Christians living by the teachings of our Savior, celebrate the freedom of religion that is guaranteed to us by our form of government. Our own spiritual legacy, the memories we leave behind, is also a memorial by which we speak to others even after we have died.
Look for the Memorial Day blog.
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The remembrance of those we honor on Memorial Day is very personal to the members of First Baptist Church, Rockport. Last August, the McLead family began grieving the loss of Garrett McLead, a young member of the church who died in Iraq, in the service of his country. The church and community grieves with them. The blog written on the day of his funeral, including links to newspaper articles at the time, can be found here.