Today, Monday, May 27, 2024, is Memorial Day in the US. On this day we honor those who have fallen in battle defending the United States of America from her enemies. We soberly reflect on those who lost their individual battles while ensuring their comrades and their nation did not lose theirs: from the Revolutionary War to the most recent armed conflicts.
We are urged, not only to pause and remember their loss of life and the sacrifices of their families, but also to use greater care in handling the freedom they bought, to treat what we enjoy as a precious thing, and to use that liberty in doing good for fellow citizens and not evil.
For many, national ardor is rather cool these days, with the state of things in our nation. There is sadness in the hearts of many over decisions made and opportunities lost. Yet, today, we do not focus our thoughts there, but on those who put on uniforms and faced with courage the call to go and fight.
Though we are tempted to believe their worst fears were realized when their lives were lost, I submit to you that this was not the case. For those who go to war for their families at home, their worst fears are realized only if the war is lost and their country is defeated.
These stared down death willingly so their flag-draped coffins could be brought back to a free nation. They journeyed far from home to ensure the threat was met on distant shores and not on the doorsteps of those they left behind to pray, to wait, and eventually to mourn.
With no disrespect intended to the living veterans and current service personnel who emphasize that this holiday should not be about them but rather about the fallen only, I, as one who has never worn a uniform, would also offer this word of thanks: you were as willing to die as your comrades who did so, and you, as they, knew the risk was real when you signed enlistment papers. For that, I thank and honor you, as well.
It is hard to think of the sacrifice of fallen soldiers without some reflection on the most significant death in all of history: the death of Jesus, the mighty God in flesh, at Calvary. We know that no human death of imperfect people can begin to compare, but their sacrifices serve to remind us that freedom isn’t free. Jesus’ death on the Cross reminds us that neither is salvation.
Jesus commanded believers to take up their crosses if they chose to follow Him and unto their own human nature to die daily, as the Apostle Paul said. Many followers have sacrificed their lives for the Gospel as the recent tragic deaths in Haiti highlight.
Believers are called, though, to be ready not only to lose their lives through persecution but to die out to their fleshly wills. To do otherwise would be to tread underfoot the blood of the holy covenant, shed at Calvary, and to treat it as worthless and unholy.
All freedom can be taken for granted in the absence of pressing threats. After 9/11 when US flags were proudly displayed on personal vehicles and in other places, I wondered how long it would be before these became tattered and were discarded, along with the fervor that united us at that moment.
I did not have to wonder long. In the same way, our resolve to give all for the Kingdom of God can cool as we become comfortable with the soothing effects of peace and safety.
Freedom of all kinds must be fought for on an individual level day by day. In the spiritual realm separation from the things that would ensnare us with the world is not optional, any more than marching in step and maintaining weapons of warfare are for the soldier.
Their sacrifices have purchased above other things, freedom to worship the God of our fathers. Let us renew our stirring to do so with all our hearts, and seek for truth in the Word of God to know that we do so with reverence and godly fear as the Apostles preached and practiced.
Thank you to those who have given all to purchase us this liberty. May we never forget or begin to handle it carelessly.