Memorial Day Sermon – May 25, 2008 – “Remember not to Forget”
Deuteronomy 8: 10-18, 6: 10-12, 8:10,11 cf. Dt. 4:9
Tomorrow is Memorial Day. It is a day set aside specifically for Americans to remember those who have given their lives in service to their country. It also has become a day of remembrance and gratitude to all those who have served in one of the branches of our armed forces. Will all those who have served in some branch of the military, please stand. [round of applause]
For those of you who are not history buffs, Memorial Day has it’s roots in the Civil War. In that conflict, virtually, every single family in the United States had lost an immediate family member. Not only were there a high number of casualties during the Civil War, but all of the casualties, both North and South, were Americans. Different people and communities were doing different things to remember and mourn their losses so it only seemed fitting and right that the nation as a whole unite in their national grief and remember those who paid with their lives for national unity and the beginnings of freedom for all. And so this day began its march towards becoming a national day of remembrance.
Illinois' Gen. John A. Logan was the first Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic. The Grand Army of the Republic was the first major veterans group to be formed in the United States. It’s membership was composed of soldiers who had served in the Northern army during the Civil War. , Logan was deeply impressed by the way the South honored their dead and he believed that the North should have a similar tradition.
So In May of 1868, Logan issued General Order 11 to the membership of this one time influential veterans' group. In it, Logan wrote:
"The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit."
And thus, “Decoration Day” was born. Just after World War I, the day was set aside to honor the dead of all U.S. wars but it wasn’t until 1971 by an act of Congress, that Memorial Day was moved from the 30th of May to the last Monday in May and made a federal holiday.
Now I suppose you could call me something of a traditionalist. You see, I think that one of the great mistakes of our time was to change Memorial Day to a three day weekend. Why is it so important for us to have three day weekends that Congress must step in and declare it to be so in the Uniform Holidays Bill. I think it was an error and there are a number of other people who also think it should be returned to always being on May 30th. Though many people observe it as intended, dare I say that most people see Memorial Day now as just another opportunity for a three day weekend. If you don’t think that’s true, just go park down at the Canal and observe the traffic headed to the Cape. Do you really believe all those cars are headed to the National Cemetary?
No, I think Memorial Day being part of a three day weekend does nothing but help us forget why we have a Memorial Day. Oh, I know the arguments for Monday holidays but I think the bottom line is the same as it is for just about everything else we do. It’s not about us remembering our fellow Americans who gave the ultimate sacrifice of their lives serving our country and defending not only our rights but also the rights and lives of those from other countries as well; Memorial Day, like so many other things, has really become about economics and convenience. It’s really about time off from work and ultimately it’s really about us just getting more of what we want. We want to have a day off from work ourselves, but we want the stores to be open. We want mini-vacations and not special days of observance that require something of us. I think that by being on a Monday and not having its own special day regardless on what day of the week it falls, Memorial Day has become no longer a day of remembrance and national mourning, but just another day to celebrate our materialism and our need to be distracted. We have forgotten just how big a price has been paid for the rights and privileges we enjoy as Americans.
Now, there are things I am not saying. I am not saying that convenience is wrong. I love my dishwasher. I am not saying that money is wrong. You have to have financial resources to survive. I am not saying that an extra day off from work is wrong or even that being distracted is always wrong. What I am saying is that because of the way we have set things up and because of our propensity to forget that which is important, the purpose of Memorial Day is easily forgotten and passed over and Memorial Day tends to be remembered only as the unofficial beginning of summer and not a day to honor those who by their sacrifice, have helped make and keep this country great.
Well, if you paid attention to the Scripture reading, you’ll note that times haven’t changed much. Whether you are an Israelite around 1500 B.C. or whether you are an American in 2008 A.D., we still have a dangerous inclination to forget what’s important.
An elderly couple are having problems remembering things, so they decide to see their doctor to find out if anything is wrong with them. They see the doctor and tell him about the memory problems they've been having. After a check-up, the doctor tells them that they are physically fine but might want to start writing things down to help them remember things.
Later that night while watching TV, the old man gets up from his chair. "Where are you going?" asks his wife. "To the kitchen," he replies. "Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?" she asks. "Sure," he says. She says, "Maybe you should write it down so you'll remember." "I'll remember," he says "Well, I would also like some strawberries on top," she says. "You had better write that down cause I know you'll forget." "I can remember that," he says, as he begins to loose his patience. "You want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries."
"I would also like whip cream on top," she adds, "I know you will forget that so you better write it down." He’s really starting to get upset now, "I don't need to write that down!”, he says, “ I will remember just fine." And he storms off to the kitchen.
After about 20 minutes he returns from the kitchen and hands her a plate of bacon and eggs. She stares at the plate for a moment, " I just knew you’d get it wrong.” Says the wife. “You forgot my toast."
Traditionally, the scripture that was read today is a message written by Moses to the Hebrews, to God’s people. We are God’s people, too and so the message is also to us and we need to pay attention to it. We aren’t sure of the exact timing of this message, in other words, we don’t know when Moses delivered it, but we do know that the Hebrews are still wandering around in the wilderness when God gives them this warning.
Why are they in the wilderness? Remember the story. The Israelites were in slavery in Egypt and God sent Moses to lead them out a free people. Remember? And Moses did that and the Israelites ended up wandering around in the Sinai desert for the next forty years. Many scholars believe that if Moses had been a woman, they would not have been lost so long because she would have stopped and asked for directions.
So as far as we know, they are still existing in hardship. They are still lost. They are for all intents and purposes, homeless. They are living in tents. They are walking a lot, apparently just sort of meandering around. The Hebrews have experienced God’s miraculous intervention in Egypt to free them from slavery. They have been experiencing God’s miraculous presence and leadership represented as a pillar of cloud during the day and just in case you thought that was just fog, it becomes a pillar of fire at night. (Ex. 13:21) We are told in Dt. 8:4 that their clothes did not wear out in forty years and that during that entire time, with all that walking, their feet did not swell. And every day, there was food to eat, called manna, provided by God, Himself. And yet, God knows His people. He knows us well doesn’t He? God knows that in spite of all these miracles and blessings, these people, in fact all people, will find it easy to be distracted by other things and to forget Him, to forget what is really important. He knows how easy it is for us to forget where all our blessings come from even when those blessings are nothing short of miraculous. When these miracles stop, when you are no longer in the desert and when you live in the land and you prosper off the good things of the land and the land produces for you and you have families and nice homes and profitable businesses, then . . .then be careful because you will tend to forget God and what He has done for you. And you must remember. You must remember to praise and thank God. Deuteronomy 8:10 says “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God.”
It is such a strange thing that when our lives are going well, we forget about God and neglect our faith. When life is smooth and there are no deserts to cross, no snakes and scorpions to deal with, when our bank accounts are full and there is a roast turkey in the oven, and our health is good, we do not see or feel our need for God. All is well. Why would you call the police? Yet, it is then we must be sure to remember God. If we do not build our faith when times are good, it will be hard to depend upon it when times are bad. It may even be hard to find it. Yet when times are good, faith may be something that we do not actually need. Dependence on God is not, at face value, something you need when your life and all you care about is running smoothly. When your life and your world seem to be within your control, why would you need God to help you with it? That is the danger of prosperity. That is the danger of good times. That is the danger of forgetting those moments in life when all you had was God. When everything else faded into the background because only God could do anything about what you were facing. Only God could sustain you in your time of trial. It is altogether too easy to believe that good times are a result of what we have done and that God can be treated like a commodity who can be kept in the closet until He is needed.
The truth is that because of the way God feels about us, He lets us do that. Even here, when we have put God on the shelf, is we find the incredible depths of God’s love. Even when we neglect Him and claim for ourselves the credit that is only His, he still calls us his children and does not ignore us when we need Him. Such is the depth of His grace that even in our pride and arrogance, He does not reject us or crush us. We cannot every really know the depths of God’s love. All we can really do is remember it from the past, experience it in the present, and look for it in the future. Like the loving Father He is, God waits for us with open arms. He asks us, no He begs us, to not ever forget that.
