I learned a large lesson last night! In light of Memorial Day weekend, our church held a special dinner and service to honor the veterans of our congregation and community. The evening went way beyond anyone’s expectations! And as I reflect upon it, I am convinced it is because they (our veterans) remember - and therefore, we should remember them!
Several things happened that brings me to this conclusion. First, more people attended than was anticipated! Our members and our community came out in a large number despite that it was a Sunday evening and that another community event was being held as well. We had more visitors in our church last night than any other time since I have been pastor. Now why would so many veterans and families attend? They remember!
Second, I had the privilege of presenting each veteran with a framed certificate of appreciation and a small Bible (Seems like such a meager gift in light of what they have given us!) We presented 25 in all! Each veteran stated his name, area and dates of service, and most of them stated their identification number totally from memory! Some would give a brief description of where they served or what they were involved in. One could not hardly speak for crying. His last phrase was “all didn’t make it back.” Every one of them remember!
Third, one of our members, a WWII veteran now in his 90s gave his amazing testimony of survival during the war. His plane was shot down by the Germans. He survived on a raft in the ocean for 7 days without water or food! God preserved them through snow, an underwater minefield, a close encounter with the enemy, and they were rescued just hours before they would have died from thirst and starvation. He remembers!
Our veterans remember the struggles of serving in the forces, the hardships and horrors of war, the sacrifices of their brothers, and the bravery and courage required to face the enemy. They remember every detail of their service. They remember every miracle. They remember every devastation. They remember all that it took to preserve for us all that we enjoy today! They remember!
And so should we! Don’t let our military heroes be neglected or forgotten. We owe them far more than we have shown them! (Again, the little certificate seems so small!) But you know what else I learned last night? They appreciate these small tokens of appreciation! A simple dinner, a simple gift, and a simple church service spoke volumes to these men! Every single one thanked me!!! Just do something that says “thank you,” and it will mean more than you realize!
Remember them all this Memorial Day!
And may this cause us to rejoice in the greatest freedom that was secured for us through our Savior. Galatians 5:1 says It is for freedom that Christ has set us free!
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