GETTING MORE OUT OF MEMORIAL DAY

Is it time to do something more with Memorial Day than just backyard  barbeques and schmoozing with friends?  The central idea of celebrating the day is remembrance. With that in mind, a few adjustments can go a long way.  First, focus on something worthy of remembrance in accord with the spirit of the day.  Reflect on all those who have served our country with honor and bravery, living and dead.  Their courage and sacrifice is a price paid for our remarkable freedom and quality of life.   

Don’t just skip over the opportunity.  Focus and reflect on someone specifically with some devotion to discussion as a family or gathering of friends.  The possibilities are endless.  Is there someone in your family or circle of close friends whose life was given over to preserve and protect the nation and our posterity?  Research that person and discuss their contribution.  Then pray with thanks for what you now appreciate more deeply about them.  It will make the day of remembrance more meaningful and personal.

Second, you may care to expand your focus and reflection beyond the present age.  Go back in time. Pick a time period and learn something about the key figures that made a difference then.  Here’s where Wikipedia can be helpful in doing a little research.  Some examples might be the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish- American War, etc.   Do the same as above.  Focus and reflect with some meaningful discussion. You will acquire a new appreciation of others the memories of whom have faded.

Third, you may choose to expand your focus beyond contemporary history and reflect on  Christian martyrs. One more exercise would be to do some research on martyrs of the early church (Stephen, Peter, Paul, several disciples, Justin, Jerome, Origen, Perpetua), or in subsequent history, or even in the present twenty-first century. In the book, Sorrow and Blood: Christian Mission in Contexts of Suffering, Persecution, and Martyrdom,* we read the estimate that the world has experienced 70 million Christian martyrs since the beginning of the Church at Pentecost.  Here is the most startling statistic I have ever encountered:  well over half of the 70 million martyrs over the past two thousand years were killed in the twentieth century alone.  This includes over 20 million martyred in Soviet prison camps. Christians are still being persecuted and martyred in startling numbers. Again, look for an opportunity to discuss what you’ve learned.  Then give thanks to God for those who have given their lives for what they believe.

I’ll be doing this on Memorial Day as part of our family devotions at the dining table.  Taking the time to remember is a more meaningful way to celebrate Memorial Day than just grabbing some burgers off the barbeque and guzzling down a beverage of choice, though I look forward to that too.

*W.D.Taylor, A. van der Meer, & R. Reimer (Pasadena: William Carey Library, 2012)