Memorial Day, the last Monday of May, is a day to honor men and women who died in combat while serving our country in the military. Originally called Decoration Day, it was a day set aside to honor the soldiers of the Union army who were killed during the Civil War. On the first Decoration Day in 1868, General James Garfield addressed a crowd of 5,0000 at Arlington National Cemetery, who then decorated the graves of 25,000 Union soldiers.
25,000 Civil War Soldiers buried in one cemetery! That’s a lot, but that is just a fraction of Union soldiers killed in the Civil War. There were roughly 140,000 killed in battle, and another 224,000 died of other causes.
Why did they die? They died for freedom. Whose freedom? Most notably, the freedom of American slaves. One might say that it wasn’t Lincoln who freed the slaves; it was all the brave soldiers who died so that they might be free.
We see the Gospel portrayed in Decoration Day. The parallels are poignant. Those who were enslaved were set free by those who died. “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). The Apostle Paul speaks of the death of Christ setting us free from slavery to sin and death. Like the slaves of the early church, and like slaves in America or any nation at any time, like each and every one of us enslaved to sin, we are set free from the greatest slavery, slavery to sin.
That wonderful parallel of the Gospel is seen in our current observance of Memorial Day. Decoration Day was set aside to specifically honor those killed during the Civil War. But after WWI, it became a day to pay tribute to all who died for their country in any war. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, over 661,000 American servicemembers were killed in combat between 1775 and 2022 (the number of wounded always far exceeds deaths). During the same period, another 500,000+ died of non-combat deaths.
Why did they die? They died for freedom. Whose freedom? Ours.
Why did Christ die? He died for freedom. Whose freedom? Ours.
Yes, a different kind of freedom because “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” (Romans 8:1-2).
This weekend, do not miss the Gospel parallels to Memorial Day. Monday marks the unofficial start of summer. We have a day off and we may go to the lake or to the park for a picnic. We grill or we barbecue; there is a difference, but you have the freedom to think otherwise.
Do not forget those who died for our freedom—to work, own a business, own a house, drive, fish, hunt, grill, BBQ, vote, fly the flag, have a family— “so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Timothy 2:2).
To give one’s life for another is often called the ultimate sacrifice, and indeed it is. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). For us, every day is Memorial Day.