This coming Monday is Memorial Day. Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day and it dates back to the Civil War. It is a day to remember the men and women who died during their service to the United States of America. Please take time to remember one of the most powerful truths we have ever heard: “Freedom is not free”.
Last week I had the joyful privilege of attending my daughter’s graduation at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. While we were there, I had the opportunity to take my grandson, Noah, to visit many of the memorials in Washington. We visited the WWII memorial, the Lincoln and Washington Memorials, the Vietnam and Korean memorials and the Jefferson Memorial. We read names and read the speeches and prayers. As Noah said to his Grandma, “Granddad got a little preachy at the memorials”. He was right. I wanted him to remember the sacrifice made for our freedom. I wanted him to read for himself about the number of deaths. I also wanted him to read with his own eyes the Christian foundation of our nation. I did get a little preachy about our rights are not given to us by the government but by God. The government can be guilty of taking away and limiting our rights…but they do not give them to us. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”
This Sunday, we will remember those who paid the ultimate price. We will remember the sacrifice of our military personnel. We will also remember the sacrifice of those who serve our Lord Jesus at a price. Continuing the theme of Family Foundations, we will remember the sacrifice of parents who strive to honor God in their lives. But ultimately, we will remember the sacrifice of our Father who so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son...to die for the world. We will observe the Lord’s Supper as the Memorial Meal. I hope you will be here to participate...and to be grateful.
See you Sunday, good Lord willing,
Pastor Tom
