Without further ado, here is the first blog edition of "thoughts for the weekend".
It’s a three day weekend - YAY!
For me growing up, Memorial Day was always the official start to
summer. We had picnics, camping, boating, and swimming, although Iowa was
generally a little too cold for me to swim in May, I know it happened for some
of my friends. Every year on Memorial Day weekend before the adventures in food and nature, we made our trek to the local cemeteries to put flowers on the graves of family members that had passed on.
I am actually kind of surprised though, at the number of people today that really do not understand the purpose behind our three day weekend.
Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day and is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of America. Memorial Day was born out of the Civil War and a desire to honor our dead. 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 first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. It is now observed in almost every state on the last Monday in May with Congressional passage of the National Holiday Act of 1971. This helped ensure a three day weekend.
A FaceBook friend posted a reminder yesterday (I am paraphrasing): “’Memorial Day’ is not ‘Veteran’s Day’. Veteran’s Day is for those that came home to live. Memorial Day is to remember those who came home feet first in a box. Veteran’s Day is for those with a pulse. Memorial Day is for those without one through the sacrifice of battle.”
WOW.
The Bible tells us that we are not forbidden from mourning or honoring the dead, but we should do so in a fashion that does not compromise our relationship to God.
We cannot help remember those who have passed on, and certainly as the day of their death draws near we will unavoidably recall their lives and even mourn again.
We are thankful that God’s Word tells us that there is a time to mourn, and a proper way to mourn:
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
And certainly in the scriptures there are various commemorations
of the forefathers, as we are called to reflect upon the lives of Abraham,
Moses, David etc.
Ultimately then we remember that Christ lives, and thus all
those who are in Christ live. When we remember the dead let us always do so in a manner that proclaims His glory, His victory, and our thankfulness for His life giving sacrifice:
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true:
“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
(1 Corinthians 15:54-58)
Have a blessed and safe Memorial Day weekend.
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