Memorial Day,
originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have
died in service of the United
States of America. Regardless of the exact
date or location of its origins, Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War
and a desire to honor our dead. It was officially proclaimed on May 5th
1868 by General John Logan. The first state to officially recognize the holiday
was New York
in 1873 and is now observed in almost every state on the last Monday in May
On the first
Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington
National Cemetery,
and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union
and Confederate soldiers buried there.
The dictionary says
this about the term memorial. It is something designed to preserve the memory
of a person. It is Intended to commemorate someone or something such as a
memorial service in the dead man's honor. And one of the synonyms for the
concept is remembrance.
Those who have sacrificed themselves for the freedoms we now
enjoy in America
are indeed heroes. They gave their best and forfeited all of the things we sometimes
take for granted. And one day certainly does not seem near enough to honor them
properly.
But there is another solitary sacrifice that brought about
far greater results and occurred on just one day in history. This one impacted both the physical and spiritual realms. That,
of course is the voluntary death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Through the
giving up of His own life, He procured the
forgiveness of sin for mankind and made redemption possible for all who
would trust and believe.
And although this eternity altering act would seem unforgettable to say the least,
sometimes even those who have been saved do tend to forget. And that is why we
find that all true believers are to observe a periodic and symbolic memorial
celebration of thanksgiving and remembrance.
It is found in 1Corinthians 11:23-26 and is typically called
communion or The Lord’s Super. There we read the words of the Apostle Paul as he related the Lord's own directive to His people.
“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to
you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, Take, eat; this is My body which is broken
for you; do this in remembrance of Me. In the same manner He also took the cup after
supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as
you drink it, in remembrance of Me. For
as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's
death till He comes.”
Millions of us today able to pursue our goals of life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness. That is because of what so many others have done, for so
long, to keep us free from tyranny and bondage. But only those who fully
understand these two special elements can, and should, participate in Christ’s special table. In doing so, we are reminded of our priceless eternal liberty and made thankful for the transforming truth written in John 8:36. “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free
indeed.”
Bill Breckenridge
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