Today is Memorial Sunday. It is a day during which we honor the men and women who served, and especially those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country and their fellow man. We owe each one of them a debt we cannot ever fully repay. They gave, and many are still giving, all they had in order to order to protect the freedom and lives of others.
From the American Revolution, to the American Civil War, to World War I, World War II, Korea, Viet Nam, both Gulf Wars and right up to today’s battlefields in the War on Terror, men and women (some young, some not so young) have found the courage and inner strength to make that sacrifice that exceeds all others.
How did they do it? Where did that courage and strength come from? I believe it comes from the fact that God has placed in each of us a sense of His love, even though we may try to bury it deep within us or ignore it entirely.
So today, as we remember those who have gone before us and made that total sacrifice, let us also remember Jesus’ words in verse 13 of today’s Gospel reading. Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” We Christians must hold that message as the very heart of our faith. Jesus did not just talk that talk, He walked that walk as He died on the cross for us, in our place! Jesus has called for each of us to follow His lead and be willing to lay down our lives for one another, and for the least of those among us, should the need arise.
Those whom we honor on this day did just that. Many, I believe, did it and are doing it out of the conviction that in their willingness to lay down their very lives for others, they are indeed following in the footsteps of Jesus the Christ. Jesus’ call is not only a call to those who serve in the military. I doubt He even had them particularly in mind when He issued that command. Rather, He issued His command directly to His disciples with Him at the time and throughout all time, even to us today and those disciples in the future until He returns. I know this is true because just before this verse, Jesus says in verse 12, “My command is this, love each other, as I have loved you.” How much does Jesus love us? He loves us even unto death on the cross.
Today, Memorial Sunday, is a time for remembrance. We Christians should know all about remembrance, for as Jesus broke the bread and shared the wine with His followers for the last time, He said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” So, as we eat and drink, we remember the mighty acts of Jesus Christ. Our remembrance of those acts brings them present with us. The objective of Memorial Day Sunday is to remember the lives and sacrifices of those past heroes, in order to bring them present with us, that we may give them the respect and honor that they so richly deserve.
We do that in many ways: ceremonies and parades, special memorial services and things such as that. But I believe the best way to honor them is to follow in their footsteps. Jesus’ command to remember Him was not simply out of concern that we might somehow forget Him and what He has done for us. Instead, it was a call to follow in His steps. Just as we honor Jesus, we honor those who have given their lives in service to their fellow man, by resolving to also give our lives to the service of others.
The men and women we honor today have set the standard high. They have shown us the way. They used the life and love of Jesus Christ, as we must also, as the yardstick to measure up to.