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When we forget, we make light of the things that really matter.
Monday is Memorial Day, and it carries with it the oft-used, poignant American slogan: "Never Forget." After significant attacks where patriots paid the last full measure of devotion, the media, soldiers, citizens, and statesmen printed and shouted headlines, such as, "Remember the Alamo!" and "Remember Pearl Harbor!" Spread across our nation are flags, monuments, and memorials to help us remember not just events but personal sacrifices made for the freedoms we enjoy.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if we do forget? We are creatures with short attention spans and even shorter memories. The lessons of yesteryear are easily forgotten amid the changing seasons of life, and "newer" understandings of the past taint, recolor, and twist the truth. Over time, the passion for bedrock principles erodes, and compromise sets in. Soon, a passion for a slurry of new principles by the secular elite is accepted, and we reject the Godly wisdom of our nation's forefathers.
One day, when we forget, we may not even realize everything is different, except for the stories told by former generations. The words of Benjamin Franklin haunt us. Following a meeting of the Constitutional Convention, a group of citizens asked what kind of government the delegates had created. Franklin, now in his 80's, wisely quipped, "A republic, if you can keep it." I wonder if we have done well at remembering.
The foundation of American society and the reason soldiers stood ready at a minute's notice was a dream was for a nation patterned like what Israel's patriarch's sought: "...a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:10). The early rally cry of the American soldiers was one of remembrance: "No king but Jesus!"
Is America perfect? No, she is not. One day, she knows she will bow like every other nation to proclaim Christ is King. This is why her prayers must remember to seek God's help, so that He would "mend thine every flaw" ("America, the Beautiful").
What ought we to do then? Remember. Remember the sacrifices made for the bedrock principles enshrined in hallowed memorials, not just the ones made with hands but especially the ones made in our hearts. Thank the families of those who have served and offered the sacrifices of freedom. Thank God for the true liberty that is found in Christ, and pattern your life around the life-changing, nation-prospering principles of the Gospel.
Remember the wisdom of our forefathers, like John Quincy Adams, who observed, "The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected, in one idissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity." It is this nation that prospers, finds joy, and is worth defending.
Let's remember!
By the way, remember that families matter! Sunday morning, gather with us on-site or online as we hold family revival services at 9:00 and 10:30 (nursery/preschool available at the 10:30 service). We'll discuss the biggest subject about the family that gets us in trouble--or saves us from it! (Hint: Think communication.)
In Christ,
Pastor Dennis M. Schaffer
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