MEMORIAL DAY
Pay to all what is due them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. – Romans 13:7-8
After the Civil War, which caused the single largest loss of life of any conflict in American history, our country had to establish its first national cemeteries. Soon after, Americans began gathering in these cemeteries in the spring for prayer and remembrance. While practices varied throughout the years, Memorial Day became an official federal holiday in 1971.
I remember celebrating Memorial Day as a child. I played trumpet in the band and was invited to play taps during the tour of area cemeteries with the color guard early in the morning. Bouncing around in the back of a school bus, I traveled with veterans of all ages as we paid tribute to the fallen in numerous small country churchyards. Later, my family would drive around to all our family cemetery plots. While not all the graves we tended to were of military, it still felt holy to use Memorial Day to remember and honor those in our family who had died.
Today, our country experiences a dangerous rise in what’s known as Christian Nationalism. This is the belief that America is somehow unique or ordained by God’s favor. It is considered heresy, as it conflates nation with religion and makes patriotism its own god. I want to be careful to note that Memorial Day is not a Christian holiday. It is a state event, and Christians in America must be careful to find the boundaries between faith in God and support of country.
Still, Christians in America hold their faith and their patriotism in a respectful tension. When it comes to Memorial Day, a time to honor those who gave their lives for their country, there can be meaningful overlap. In Romans, Paul reminds the believers that even Christians bear a responsibility to their local governments. Ultimately, the way we live as members of a society remains guided by our faith: we live in love and service, as Christ has called us. And so, we give thanks for those who have died in service to this country, pray that deadly conflict would cease, and trust that the God of peace would work in this and all countries.
Let us pray:
We thank you, God, for those called to the vocation of military service. Keep safe all those who serve at home and abroad. Make holy the memory of those who have died in service to country. Commit us to care for those they have left behind. Make us agents of peace so that no one will ever have to pay this price again. Amen.