30 May, 2011
Memorial Day
QUANTICO NATIONAL CEMETERY -- When I was a kid, we called May 30 "Decoration Day." It was an occasion for Boy Scouts to be up before dawn and report, in uniform, to the American Legion hall. There, Cub Scouts would be paired with older Boy Scouts, organized into detachments of a dozen or so and issued bags of small American flags. The groups then "deployed" in station wagons and pickup trucks to local cemeteries and churchyards, where we placed Old Glory on every veteran's grave. Later in the morning, there was a parade down Main Street, led by a color guard, the high-school band and ranks of veterans from World War I, World War II and the war of the moment, Korea. The Veterans of Foreign Wars sold red poppies to raise funds for the disabled. Politicians made speeches, and citizens prayed in public. It was a solemn annual event that taught us reverence for those who served and sacrificed for our country. It's no longer so.
Begun as a local observance in the aftermath of the Civil War, the first national commemoration took place May 30, 1868, at the direction of Gen. John A. Logan, commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. Though his General Order No. 11 specified "strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion" -- meaning only Union soldiers -- those who tended the burial sites at Arlington, Va., Gettysburg, Pa., and Vicksburg, Miss., decided on their own to decorate the biers of both Union and Confederate war dead.
For five decades, the holiday remained essentially unchanged. But in 1919, as the bodies of young Americans were being returned to the U.S. from the battlefields of World War I, May 30 became a truly national event. It persisted as such until 1971, during Vietnam -- the war America wanted to forget -- when the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed by Congress went into effect and turned Memorial Day into a "three-day weekend." Since then, it's become an occasion for appliance, mattress and auto sales, picnics, barbecues and auto races. Thankfully, there are some places besides Arlington National Cemetery where Memorial Day still is observed as a time to honor America's war dead. Here in Triangle, Va., the Marines do it right.
Click Here to read the full article by Oliver North
Story found at news.google.com.
Image courtesy of images.google.com.
Luke 22:14-23
14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." 17And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, "Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 20And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 21 But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. 22For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!" 23And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.
What does God's Story teach us about remembering?
I remember my own grandparents referring to Memorial Day as "Decoration Day." I remember heading to the cemetary, not just to memorialize those who died serving our country, but those who had left a legacy for our family. I remember walking around the cemetary, reading the names on very old tombstones, wondering about their story - their family, their life, their legacy. There was nothing for me to remember about them, because I didn't know them. Maybe Jesus knew we needed some sort of tradition to "remember" his sacrifice for us.
Today, most churches call it communion, a time when we pass some sort of bread and some type of juice, in order to remember that Jesus laid down his life for us, so that our life might be raised with him. On this Memorial Day, as you picnc, or shop, or whatever you find yourself doing, take some time to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for you.
How can I connect today's God's Story scripture to My Life?
- Take some time today to pray for the families in our country who have lost a loved one fighting for our freedom.
- Grab a paper and a pen today and write a thank you letter to Jesus for laying down his life for you.
How can I connect Today's Story, My Story, and God's Story to Others?
- Grab some close friends today and go to a local cemetary. Look specifically for and tombstones of those who served our country. Pause to pray for their families.
- Get together with some friends today to say a prayer of thanks to God for the sacrifice that Jesus made by laying down His life for you.
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