May 25, 2008

Memorial Sunday Message

The Rev. A Thomas Carlson

Scriptures: Isaiah 49:8-16a

Matthew 6:24-34

“Then one of the elders asked me, ‘These in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?’

“I answered, ‘Sir, you know.’

“And he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore,

“’they are before the throne of God

and serve him day and night in his temple;

and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.

Never again will they hunger;

never again will they thirst.

The sun will not beat upon them,

nor scorching heat.

For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their

shepherd;

he will lead them to springs of living water.

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

(Revelation 7:13-17, NIV)

It was a spring morning in 1866, just after the Civil War. A group of Southerners (who had been severely beaten by the North) did something quite extraordinary. They marched down the streets of what was left of their town to a cemetery. There they decorated the graves of the soldiers. All the soldiers--Union as well as Confederate. One observer noted how these moms, daughters, and widows had buried their dead, now they buried their hatred. The time for healing had come. It was the first Memorial Day!

Have you ever wondered why Memorial Day was called Decoration Day? Its date doesn’t recall some historic battle, or the start of some war, or the signing of an armistice. Why, then in May? For a very practical reason. Because it is a time when flowers bloom. Flowers with which to decorate graves. Decoration Day was faithfully observed over the years. In our current cultural climate, it can be an occasion to vacation. (Memorial Day and Labor Day have been described as bookend holidays.) For earlier generations, this weekend meant driving a distance to a cemetery to decorate the graves of loved ones. Today it is more often a drive to the mountains, the mall, or the seaside! Those of us here at church today, decided to include a time to remember in the midst of all our other activities.

Part of the reason we observe Memorial Day is to remember the debt we owe to others. Maya Angelon wrote: “How important it is to recognize and celebrate our heroes and sheroes!” Of course, the veteran groups will be conducting ceremonies in large cemeteries across America and that is the appropriate/right thing to do. It is right to recognize sacrifices made for the rest of us, even at the expense of losing ones life in the effort, but to honor their sacrifice is not to glorify war. We, as followers of the Prince of Peace, must make sure that does not happen. Nor do we allow our faith in Christ to become Civil Religion.

Our heroes and sheroes may have never worn a uniform, never carried a gun. Quote from Benjamin Disraeli: “The legacy of heroes (and sheroes) is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.” They have literally put their own lives on hold, even on the line, for your benefit and mine. We rarely addressed them formally yet we had great respect and an abiding love for them. They will be represented by carnations placed on the altar following the message. Many of those we remember were involved in the life of the church, devoted to God’s work in one way or another. The Book of Revelation would describe them as those who “wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb.” They have given the very best of their lives to parenthood and churchmanship. For that they are our heroes and sheroes.

When we recite the creed and say, “I believe in . . . the communion of saints” they are more than just words in a creed. Quoting another: “They are reminding us of ‘a constant, discernable presence of the faithful departed’” of every age. The communion of saints is not found in a cemetery, but ”in, with, and under the presence of the Living Christ; who is Himself present in, with, and under the bread and wine of the Holy Communion.” One writer even suggests that “we meet and greet the saints at the Table of the Lord.” We come close to that kind of experience by bringing a carnation to the altar at church today.

Memorial Day, then, can be an occasion to grow in our understanding, appreciation of those who have left us to be in God’s closer--nearer presence. It can also be a time to help our children and grandchildren remember loved ones they knew or heard stories about. During the years I lived in Everett as a teenager, on Memorial Day weekend, our family went to the old cemetery to place cut flowers at the graves of Alfred and Charlotte Carlson, grandparents I never knew in person. But felt I knew something about them because of Memorial Day. Stories about them were more real because of those annual visits to the cemetery.

Finally, the observance of Memorial Day within the content of church is different than any civic observance simply because of Jesus Christ! While loved ones gave unselfishly of themselves so that we could get established, even ahead in life, Christ gave His life that we might live forever. Our Scripture for today is an attempt to discuss this “forever.” This, indeed, is our time to remember and give thanks. Amen and Amen.