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| “Greater love has no one than this; to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” |
| —John 15:13 |
On this Memorial Day, we recognize those men and women who have given what Abraham Lincoln described in the Gettysburg Address as “the last full measure of devotion.” These brave members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine have sacrificed their lives in order to preserve our freedoms.
I have several Christian friends who decidedly oppose all war. Most of them retain a level of appreciation for the sacrifice that brave men and women have made in order to preserve the freedoms they enjoy each day. But, I also feel, when talking with them, that they would almost prefer to live under foreign domination than raise their hand in battle against such an intruder. I believe I understand that their strongly held beliefs come from their interpretation of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:38-48. I do not share their conviction.
My father chose to serve in the United States Marine Corps in World War II. I say “chose” because when he entered military service in the winter of 1942 he was already 35 years old. Because of his age, the Marine Corps would not send him overseas. He spent his three-plus years in various assignments in the continental U.S. From him, I learned, at a very early age, to have utmost respect for the men and women who serve in the military.
My father was a man who rarely wept. But, on Memorial Day, when we stood on the curb in downtown Bradford, Pennsylvania, and watched the colors pass by in the annual Memorial Day Parade, my father would get a tear in his eye. You see, he remembered the men he trained with at Parris Island, South Carolina, who never returned from their service in Europe or the Pacific. As a military police officer, he escorted many metal caskets, as they returned from the field of battle. From him I learned that the sacrifice of those in the military comes at a very high price—but such is the price of freedom.
Unlike some of my fellow Christians, I am one who believes that God has truly shed His grace on the United States of America. I believe that the very Hand of Providence brought our nation into being. I believe that our nation was intended to bring peace and prosperity to a desperately needy world. I also believe that with the Judeo-Christian ethic woven into the warp and woof of the fabric of our nation, we were given a unique opportunity to spread the good news of God’s mercy, grace, and overwhelming love.
So, on this day when we memorialize those in our military who have given the ultimate sacrifice in this life, I remember the words of Jesus from John 15. In this passage, Jesus is talking to His disciples—that closely knit group of twelve men that He has gathered around Himself. He is giving them their marching orders. His instruction, that begins in John 14, concludes in John 17 with the passage of Scripture known as Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. Please take note of these words from John 15:9-17:
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
“If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.
“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
“This is my command: Love each other.”
“Greater love has no one than this; to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jesus laid down His life for us on the cross of Calvary. Hundreds of thousands of men and women in our military have laid down their lives to protect and preserve our freedom to worship the God who loves us.
On this Memorial Day, let us bow our heads in remembrance. Let us thank these men and women for their sacrifice. And, let us thank their families who sent them off to war only to see them return in a coffin—or to not return at all.
May God continue to withhold His judgment against our land and give our people the opportunity to return to Him in repentance.
And, yes! On this Memorial Day, 2015, I will write these words: May God bless the United States of America.
