Bands will play. Men and women in uniform will march. Bugles will sound the haunting notes of taps. Rifle volleys will signal the fall of those gone before.
Most of the observances this Memorial Day will have a military tone. How appropriate. After all, Memorial Day began as a day to pay homage to those who died in the service of the United States of America.
Speakers will tell of the sacrifices made by the men and women remembered. Love of country will be extolled. Many speakers will talk of God’s mercies to our nation and to those whose graves surround the places where many Memorial Day services take place.
While the day honors those who died in the service of their country, Memorial Day has meaning for all who gather to remember the past. Especially with American troops actively working in harm’s way, it is appropriate that all Americans remember the past and learn again the lessons their sacrifices teach us.
Perhaps the greatest lesson to learn comes from the words etched into the granite base of the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C. The phrase declares that “Freedom is not free.” It never has been.
Freedom requires vigilance on the part of all freedom-loving people. What does vigilance mean? It means awareness of circumstances where basic human freedoms are threatened. It means preparation to defend freedom, whether our own or our neighbor’s. History teaches well that when any people are abused, all people are threatened.
As Christians, we believe basic human freedoms come from God. They were bestowed on His prime creation when God made man in His own image. Basic human freedoms, sometimes called basic human rights, are not privileges handed out by the whim of some government whether it be a despot or a democracy.
Memorial Day also teaches that freedom requires sacrifice. Being vigilant is not enough. Occasionally one must act. It was those willing to act who gathered at Concord and Lexington and started this nation on its march to independence.
Twenty-three decades later, freedom-loving men and women still act. Today they act in such places as Afghanistan, the Philippines, central Europe, Israel and elsewhere.
Like the handful of minutemen who faced the 400 redcoats at Lexington and Concord, some lay down their lives for freedom. How sad it is to see the flag-draped coffins of fallen heros. Yet, the scene will be repeated as long as men and women value freedom dearer than life itself.
Memorial Day speaks of confidence in the future, especially in troubled days such as these. People ask, “Will it be all right?” The question was asked by parents and friends as they waved goodbye to their loved ones aboard troop trains in World War I and World War II. It was asked as young men and women boarded airplanes headed for distant lands such as Korea, Vietnam and Kuwait. It is asked today.
Memorial Day testifies that others have walked through troubled times and survived. Some paid the ultimate price to make sure that things were “all right.” They gave their lives. Acknowledging their sacrifices cannot help but give confidence and hope for our future.
No matter how bleak the circumstances, there is hope. There is hope for the nation. There is hope for us. Gloom and doom are not the only outcomes available. Through persistence, hard work and sacrifice, others overcame challenges. The same can happen today.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to look back over the history of this nation without recognizing the grace of God at work. In unexpected ways in unexpected places through unexpected people, tides of history have turned. Some call this luck. To those with eyes to see, it is the grace of God.
That is not to say that God is an American. He is not. God is not Republican or Democrat. He is not American or Russian. He is not African or Asian. God is God. Isaiah 40 declares that nations come and go but God is always God. In His good time, God will triumph over all. Wrong will fail; right prevail.
This nation — any nation — would do well to make sure its guide is the certain light of basic God-given human freedoms and not the flickering, erratic light of self-interest. One is like setting a course by the north star. The other, like following a lightning bug.
Memorial Day preserves the lessons of the past for future generations. It breaks through the facade of indifference and skepticism calling for participation and commitment. Memorial Day inspires one to reach beyond self for the sake of others.
Memorial Day may be about the past but its benefits are for today. This Memorial Day may we all take time to reflect and learn the lessons of this national observance.
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