Memorial Day

“This day shall be for you a memorial day and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout all your generations as a statute forever” (Exodus 12:14).

As a nation, we celebrate a very important holiday this weekend. Instituted in May of 1868, Memorial Day was initially intended to honor soldiers who died during the Civil War. Since that time, it has come to be our most solemn American holiday as we remember the sacrifices of the men and women who died in the defense of our freedoms. We owe those who have served our country a tremendous debt of gratitude, a debt we can never fully repay.

Although Memorial Day has been an official American holiday for 142 years, the concept of memorializing is not new. In fact, it was instituted by God on the evening of the first Passover just prior to God delivering his people from captivity in Egypt. After God gave his people specific directions regarding how they were to celebrate the first Passover meal, he told them that they were to remember (to memorialize) the Passover “throughout all generations.” God did not want them to minimize or forget his work in freeing them from bondage. To this day, the Passover is celebrated by Jews throughout the world.

As I’ve thought about the principle of memorializing, I couldn’t help but wonder whether we as Christians take sufficient time to meditate upon the incredible gift of salvation we have in Jesus Christ. After all, God wanted his people to remember forever their deliverance from Egypt. Should we not also remember how God freed us from bondage to sin through Christ?

In that light, let me ask you something. Do you have a regular pattern of recalling how God saved you? Further, have you made it a regular habit to thank God for his faithfulness in your life? If not, why not? I think you will derive great blessing from intentionally recalling the events of your salvation, as well as memorializing God’s faithfulness in your life. Here’s a simple way to get started.

Each time you drive into the church parking lot, thank God for sending Christ to save you. Every time you pick up your Bible, try to recall at least one example of God’s faithfulness to you. Further, as part of your regular prayer routine, set aside time for the express purpose of thanksgiving (no petitions, just thanks). My conviction is that we should take seriously the memorializing of God’s goodness to us. As Americans, we celebrate Memorial Day once per year. Yet, if we incorporate these simple suggestions into our daily routine, every day becomes a memorial day. Would you agree?