A Weekend To Remember

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; Yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.

Psalm 73: 11-12

Fresh cut flowers and speeches. The Stars and Stripes waving in the breeze of a late spring day. Visiting the cemetery. Wearing the full dress uniform in the parade. All these in an effort to remember. To mark memory of the men and women who have died in the service of our country while in the armed services. To commemorate their sacrifice that has benefitted us and others. We call it Memorial Day.

In the middle of lives that are filled with deadlines and schedules, where the most practical gift is sometimes a multi-pack of sticky notes, it's hard not to see Memorial Day as a much-needed three-day weekend. But it’s good advice: “Remember!” Recall what has gone on before that has brought us where we are today.

We owe a great debt of gratitude to those who have died to provide the freedoms that we enjoy in this country. For all its faults, we in America have been blessed like few others in history. We have much to remember and to give thanks for.

So, it's good advice: “Remember!” Recall what has gone on before. For the writer of Psalm 73 that would have included some things we would consider hard to forget. Maybe even hard to believe. That would include the creation of the world in 6 days, bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt through the Red Sea, and conquering armies in the face of impossible odds. Parents speaking to the toddlers on their knees would tell their children what had gone on before them what great things God had done. And in the process they would remind their children not only what had happened, but more importantly, who had brought them to the present. And so it is today.

It's good advice: “Remember!” It's good of us to remember what God has done but it's even more comforting to know that even when we don't remember, God does! He remembers us even when we have forgotten about him. He's not about to drop us off his list because it's been too long since he's heard from us, too long since we've been in touch.

When you examine your faith-life, you may have to conclude that it has been a very long time since you reviewed the great things God has done for you. So long that it might be difficult for you to remember. Especially during difficult times one of the Devil’s tactics is to get us to take our eyes off the Lord and focus instead on the problems at hand. It's good to remember, though, that all through the course of our life God has been with us, bringing us to saving faith, keeping us in that one true faith through Word and Sacrament, and blessing each and every one of us beyond measure. One of the best ways that we can remember all these blessings that God has showered down upon us is open up his Word, the Bible, and review all those deeds of the Lord and miracles of long ago.

God's blessings on your Memorial Day weekend. May it be a time when we remember, with thanksgiving, all the wonderful things God has done for us.