Greetings in the name of the Lord!
Memory – “The power or process of reproducing or recalling what has been learned and retained.” Memory is a strong suit for many – and maybe not so strong for others. Take the case of a woman in this story:
A policeman noticed a woman driver at a commuter train station with her head bowed over the steering wheel in obvious discomfort. The police officer asked her, “Is there anything wrong?”
Half crying and half laughing, she said, “For ten years I have been driving my husband to this station every morning to catch this train. THIS MORNING I FORGOT HIM!”
Hopefully we aren’t in that condition just yet. What do you think of when you think of Memorial Day – the beginning of summer vacation, barbecues in the back yard, family get-togethers?
The ability to remember is a wonderful gift God has given us. In a flash we can be a child again, skipping rocks across a pond, or walking in a meadow. Through memory we can fall in love, get married, & enjoy our children all over again. All this is possible through the blessing of memory.
In most churches Memorial Day is ignored because it is not one of the holy days on the church calendar. However, I believe that it would be good for us to consider what Memorial Day really represents, for its very name calls us to remember.
This special day started near the end of the Civil War. The custom of placing flowers on the graves of the war began on May 5, 1866, in Waterloo, NY, and Waterloo has been recognized by Congress as the official birthplace of Memorial Day.  After a few years the practice of placing flowers on military graves had spread throughout both the north & south & was being called by almost everyone, “Decoration Day.”
Then, after WW1 it became a national holiday dedicated to remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms that we enjoy. The most solemn ceremony conducted on Memorial Day is the placing of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns located in Arlington national Cemetery.
This Memorial Day let’s pause to thank our military, past and present, for the sacrifices made for this great nation. Then pause to thank God for the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary so that you and I might enjoy eternal freedom.
God Bless you all.
Bro. Delton
As it has been said, “Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you….Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.”