Starting shortly after the Civil War, Memorial Day has been a day to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. We just observed Memorial Day 2020 on Monday, May 25th. While many families set some time aside on Memorial Day to visit the graves of loved ones, there is a larger lesson here for Christians: Remember.
One of our roles as part of Christ’s universal Church is to remember. When a young adult complains because he doesn’t remember being baptized as an infant, we who were there remember. When a healing or some other miracle occurs that cannot be explained by science, the witnesses remember. When someone has followed God faithfully for decades before passing on, we remember.
Just as Joshua instructed the Israelites to build a cairn of twelve stones when they crossed the Jordan River as a memorial, we too have a duty to remember. We need each other to remember. An infant cannot remember his or her baptism. A child is not likely to remember the faithful acts of a grandparent. Remembering is honoring. So we remember; and we tell. We pass on to the next generation the deeds of the past so that even though they didn’t experience them, or cannot remember them personally, these things become part of their collective experience.
We don’t typically erect piles of stones, but we do erect grave markers. And we do hand out certificates of baptism. Memorial Day is important because it is a marker on the calendar each year to honor the fallen. Those who have died in service to their country deserve to be honored in this way, not because they were perfect human beings, but because they answered their nation’s call when needed. The Church also needs people in every generation who are willing faithfully to answer the call of Christ on their heart. And part of that call includes remembering.
