When the Mighty Fall

 

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

1 Kings 21:17-29

But the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria.  He will be at Naboth’s vineyard in Jezreel, claiming it for himself.  Give him this message:  ‘This is what the Lord says:  Wasn’t it enough that you killed Naboth?  Must you rob him, too?  Because you have done this, dogs will lick your blood at the very place where they licked the blood of Naboth!’”  “So, my enemy, you have found me!” Ahab exclaimed to Elijah.  “Yes,” Elijah answered, “I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the Lord’s sight.  So now the Lord says, ‘I will bring disaster on you and consume you.  I will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel!  I am going to destroy your family as I did the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the family of Baasha son of Ahijah, for you have made me very angry and have led Israel into sin.’  “And regarding Jezebel, the Lord says, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s body at the plot of land in Jezreel.’  “The members of Ahab’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”  (No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel.  His worst outrage was worshiping idols just as the Amorites had done—the people whom the Lord had driven out from the land ahead of the Israelites.)  But when Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning.  Then another message from the Lord came to Elijah:  “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me?  Because he has done this, I will not do what I promised during his lifetime.  It will happen to his sons; I will destroy his dynasty.”

Ahab was King of Israel.  By definition that means he was God’s servant, charged with the responsibility to make certain God’s people were turned to God, rather than evil.  Ahab failed miserably, because he chose to use his position of power to get what he wanted, rather than do what God required.  Some things never change!

By contrast, Elijah, God’s faithful servant, was always in some kind of hot water with the powers that be.  That describes the life of anyone who will speak for God.  As a pastor, I learned early-on that there are two parts to the job description:

               ·       Comfort the afflicted, and…

               ·       Afflict the comfortable.

Ahab fell in the later category, and it was Elijah’s task to deliver the uncomfortable truth about the king’s sin.  That part of the job never includes a pleasant afternoon tea time.  I learned that thirty years ago; it was homecoming Sunday, and the church was full. The smell of fried chicken and homemade delights filled the air.  But my thoughts on what God had spoken to my heart about the state of a church that was long past its glory days led me to preach a sermon on how serving self leads to destruction.  It included recounting how the church dies when it is more in love with what the church has done in its history, rather than putting on the work gloves and serving God in the here and now.  After the service, I was greeting the crowd at the door, and one older woman approached me with a deeply furrowed brow.  She growled:  Those people didn’t need to hear all that disturbing stuff; a preacher ought to make a homecoming crowd feel good about how we used to do stuff.  With that, she huffed and stormed off.  Well…shut my mouth! 

It’s an odd thing the way God chooses preachers, particularly in my case.  I was like Moses at the burning bush, trying to get God to send anyone but me.  And this woman was proof that it was going to be a long haul – if I lived through the confrontation God’s Word always precipitates. 

Let’s Pray Together:

Father, we’re more apt, especially when we get older and weaker, to wear the medals of what we have done for You, than to hear the marching orders.  We want ease rather than the confrontation spiritual warfare requires.  Forgive our selfishness, and renew us for serving you today.  Help us hear Elijah, and refuse the temptation to be Ahab.

For You Today

A positive thought to end today’s devotion is Ahab’s response to Elijah’s message.  To his credit, Ahab went into repentance mode, showing Godly sorrow over his sin.  And, God saw it, and God responded.  As evil as he’d been, Ahab found out his life’s sins were not unforgivable.  And THAT is the very definition of Good News!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today.  Have a blessed day!

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Title Image:  Welcome Collection Gallery (via Wikimedia Commons)

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

An Uncertain Note

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Friday, August 2, 2019

Even lifeless instruments like the flute or the harp must play the notes clearly, or no one will recognize the melody.  And if the bugler doesn’t sound a clear call, how will the soldiers know they are being called to battle?  1 Corinthians 14:7-8

Unexpected things are so named because they’re not expected.  Sometimes those unanticipated events are tragedy – sometimes comedy; occasionally they are both!

Homecoming/memorial service at our church is the most well-attended Sunday of the year, and the choir is reserved a spot to sit together in a side area of the worship center.  This is for two reasons – there might not be a seat in the main area, and most of the choir helps serve the dinner following worship, so they have a convenient side door where they sit to hurry out when the service ends. 

For last year’s service the final hymn I chose was familiar to our bunch.  However, as we sang the first verse, I suddenly realized most of the returning members and visitors had never heard it before.  In a moment of what turned out to be less-than-inspired, I stepped to the side room where the choir was sitting and tried to speak to our Lay Leader to bring the choir out to stand in front of congregation to help lead the singing.  Our Lay Leader is a most helpful and agreeable man, but he is almost as deaf as I am.  He misunderstood my request; he thought I was encouraging them to leave.  I began to lead them, but as I walked to the front I was alone; they went out the side door. 

In the split second in which I realized I was alone, I wondered if that was how it was for Jesus when the Roman soldiers came to arrest him, and his followers beat a frenzied retreat.  I am not equipped to lead singing…I mean, I can get enough volume, but when the notes come out of my mouth, there are few people who would pay money to hear those notes when they get there.  (I daresay there might be a few willing to purchase ear plugs for such times, or a lynching rope).

I learned two lessons (or rather re-learned things I’d messed up before):

1.     Don’t take things for granted.  If I’d followed that, I would have asked someone about singing that song.

2.     When you’re leading, sound a clear note so others can follow.

Those wisdom tidbits oftentimes come at a great price.  Once learned, they should be kept close in hand.  Being the leader doesn’t mean you get to decide everything gets done the way you want it; spiritual leadership means it’s your responsibility to sound a clear note, so others will know we’re not going out the side door.

For You Today

The clear note from our God about his children’s path is found in Jesus’ last words of his earthly ministry:

And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  Acts 1:8

Now, that’s NOT an unclear note; we get to decide what instrument we’ll play, but all God’s children are part of the band!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image:  Pixabay.com        Unless otherwise noted, Scripture used from The New Living Translation©

How to Wreck a Homecoming in One Easy Lesson

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Wednesday, November 14, 2018

When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.  The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him.  He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”  He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down.  All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently.  Then he began to speak to them.  “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”  Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips.  “How can this be?” they asked.  “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”  Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb:  ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’  But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.  “Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land.  Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them.  He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon.  And many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.”  When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious.  Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built.  They intended to push him over the cliff, but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.  

Luke 4:16-30(NLT)

It was the first time the hometown crowd saw the little boy they’d known, who was a carpenter-apprentice, now-turned preacher.  For someone who was accused of being a party guy Jesus really knew how to throw a wet towel over a homecoming!  And all it took was 11 words:  The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!  What Jesus said lit the crowd up, and they resorted to mob-violence, wanting to push him over the cliff.  He had simply announced that He, Jesus, Joseph and Mary’s son, was the Messiah – the one for which they’d been waiting.  Sermon, truth, and Lord…rejected!

I rained on a homecoming one time, but it took many more words than Jesus used.  I preached on how Jesus didn’t want to close the church down, even though it was happening all around us; hundreds of churches closing their doors every year.  And if we wanted the fine history of our old church to end with a whimper, all we had to do was sit back and rest on our laurels; the rest would take care of itself.  

The church had been declining for years, a history of squabbles, fired ministers and other terminal signs.  A lady who hardly knew me said as she was leaving after the service:  Well, I hope you’re happy; those people didn’t need to hear THAT!  I asked her what she would have said.  She replied:  Well, I’m not a preacher.  It was YOUR job to say something nice.  I replied as kindly as I could muster:  Ma’am, I’m supposed to say the TRUTH; “nice” has nothing to do with it.  I wish I could say she never spoke to me again, but she kept it up for the whole time I was pastor there.  It was an interesting 6-year minefield, trying to do the best, truthful thing for one who obviously despised the ground upon which I walked!

I’ve only just recently discovered what I missed those many years ago; there are some people you weren’t sent to reach…only endure.  That lady would have been part of Jesus’ lynching party if she’d been there.  (Come to think of it she did seem that old!).  Accordingly, she wouldn’t have heard or sensed anything positive from the likes of me, unless it was the kind of flattery that told her just what she wanted to hear – a lullaby that wouldn’t rock her religious cradle.  I wonder these days why I tried so hard to help her understand.

But Jesus certainly understood his words were going to cause trouble amongst the entrenched power brokers; he knew, if he told them the truth, it would cause trouble.  That’s what Isaiah said would happen to the Messiah, rejection from his own:

He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.  We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.  He was despised, and we did not care.  

Isaiah 53:3(NLT)

In some measure the people of Jesus’ hometown DID care; they cared about shutting-down the truth that hurts.  And, as Sonny and Cher Bono once sang, the beat goes on!

For You Today

Advent is nearly on our doorstep.  It’s a time for clearing the way of the LORD and opening the doors of our hearts to hear truth and receive the genuine message of hope for all peoples.  And this truth will come to us no matter how we may look to others, no matter how big we’ve messed it up with what we’ve done, or how messed up, prejudicial, selfish, or angry our thinking has been…if we have ears to hear.

So…don’t worry about whether your preacher says it like you wanted to hear; hear like Jesus is preaching truth to you; He IS, you know!   

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image: Courtesy of Pixabay.com

Remember!

[1]

“Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and occupy the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors.  Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands.  

Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors.  He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of theLord.  For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell.  Think about it:  Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.  “So obey the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and fearing him.  For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills.  It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey.  It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking.  It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills.  When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.  “But that is the time to be careful!  Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today.  For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful!  Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.  Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry.  He gave you water from the rock!  He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors.  He did this to humble you and test you for your own good.  He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’  Remember the Lord your God.  He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.  “But I assure you of this:  If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed.  Just as the Lord has destroyed other nations in your path, you also will be destroyed if you refuse to obey the Lord your God.   Deuteronomy 8:1-20^(NLT)

Memorial Day is sometimes called Decoration Day.  It is one of many celebrations in honor of our country’s history, in particular, the day we commemorate the valor and sacrifice of those who have died on the battlefield defending our freedom. 

“On Memorial Day, people place flowers and flags on the graves of military personnel.  Many organizations, including Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and fraternal groups, march in military parades and take part in special programs….Memorials are often dedicated on this day.             

Military exercises and special programs are held at Gettysburg National Military Park and at the National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.^[2]

How many of America’s bravest have died in gaining and protecting our free way of life?  According to the Veteran’s Administration,

– is the number of American service members killed in wartime since this nation declared independence nearly 240 years ago.^[3] 

You might understandably ask why so many have been willing to be in harm’s way down to the ultimate sacrifice.  What is so important, so vital about America to evoke such patriotism, such loyalty?  What makes us even remember?  What is the cost of so great a concept as our freedom?

For an answer that helps us remember, let us turn to the story of another nation, one like our own.  It is the story of a nation coming out of an oppressive bondage to seek freedom and their own land. 

Two thousand years before the birth of Jesus Christ, the descendants of Abraham were living in Egypt.  Abraham had been promised they would have Canaan, the land we now know as Israel.  However, the king of Egypt, Pharaoh, managed to enslave Abraham’s people.  For four hundred years, Israel served Egypt as slaves.  Then came Moses!

God’s people were released into the Sinai desert, bound for the Promised Land.  There was a forty-year detour in that desert, as the disobedient children were disciplined to learn how to better follow the God they said they wanted to serve.

When finally it was time to go into the land, occupying it as the nation of God, Moses gathered all the families together and gave them God’s charge that they remember – remember the LORD your God!

This one sentence gives us insight into why Americans have been giving their lives on battlefields for more than two centuries. 

·       Some died unwillingly, conscripts who served only because they had no choice. 

·       Some died accidentally, absent of any so-called heroic or higher motive. 

·       However, an overwhelming majority died valiantly, willing to pay the ultimate price for a principle.  That principle is freedom!     

As a nation we have been committed to guaranteeing a free society.  As a nation we have discovered that no freedom comes at a cheap price. 

Our spiritual freedom cost God the blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus.  In this nation our forefathers carried out that principle.  As the hymn has it, As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free.^[4]  Americans take freedom seriously!

As a nation we have also discovered that we are likely to forget all of that if we do not take pains to frequently remember the cost.  Hence Memorial Day; this is why we take the time to understand the REASONS WHY we remember…

I.  Our Freedom Was a Costly Gift

God’s gift of freedom (spiritual or national) is always costly.  In the case of Israel, God wanted their remembering to cause a few things.  He wanted it to cause thankfulness.  It was God who led Israel through the wilderness of Sinai, feeding them with manna all the way.  It was God who kept their shoes and garments from wearing out for the whole forty years of detour.  It was God who protected and kept them free from the Egyptian storm troopers that pursued them into the desert.  Thankfulness for that kind of Providence should be a “no-brainer”. 

The same principle applies to Christians and the cross.  Jesus Christ came to die for our sins; He took our wilderness and our detour.  Many people will privately recognize Jesus, but will never publicly express their thankfulness for a saved soul.  What a costly gift.  If someone gave you a Rembrandt, or a Mercedes, or a house in an upscale gated community you would thank them from the rooftops; you’d take out a front page on the Times.  What do you do for a soul saved for all eternity from sin and Hell?

God wanted more than thankfulness, He wanted obedience. 

“So obey the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and fearing him.  Deuteronomy 8:6^(NLT)

Why did God cause Israel to wander for forty years?  Was it just for punishment?  No, He knew they were in for a difficult time of adjusting to life as His people.  He knew if they failed at the simplest things like trusting Him for small things like food and shelter, they would never accomplish the larger victories which required strong faith.  God was training them for a tough assignment.

Have you served in the military?  If you’ve been through “boot camp” you know they put you through endless repetitions of seemingly meaningless tasks.  They would be totally meaningless IF you didn’t care about staying alive on the battlefield.  Obedience is learned by surrendering your will to the will of the commander.  That is necessary on the battlefield; immediate compliance to orders can mean the difference between victory and utter defeat.  It can mean life or death.

It is that way in the Christian life.  You begin the new birth, life in Jesus by surrendering YOU to HIM.  We have an assignment as a church, as believers to win the world for Jesus Christ.  Is that a job for disobedient saints?  Without obedience to Christ we waste this costly gift of God’s Son dying for us on the cross. 

God wants thankfulness and obedience.  That’s why we remember!

II.  Our Freedom Was a Priceless Gift

God always gives the best.  There was a commercial on TV about giving diamonds to your mate.  The end line said something like, when you care about giving the very best.  That’s what God did.  How often the Scripture tells us just how priceless:

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 

           

Romans 6:23^(NLT)

In the case of Israel coming out of Egypt and heading for the Promised Land it was more than the land – it was the promise of God’s continual blessing, forever!  That’s priceless! 

God had established a covenant with Abraham that guaranteed his lineage would number as the grains of sand on the sea shore.  That’s priceless!

In the case of Calvary’s cross, Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection guarantee He will never leave nor forsake us.  When this life is done He will take us to heaven for an eternity of joy around the throne of God.  How priceless is that?

We honor our service persons who have given the last full measure.  I tell you, beloved, as an American, that is warming to my heart; as a Christian I know there is no measure to comprehend the grace of God in providing us that free gift of His dear Son, Jesus Christ. 

His gift of freedom – costly, priceless, and therefore…

III.  Our Gift of Freedom ust Be Used Well

On Memorial Day weekend our thoughts go to the families who have lost loved ones in the wars.  We also attempt to teach the significance of the sacrifice of others who have gone before.  Why?  We teach so that future generations do not become arrogant, and come under judgment.

We are so prone, and it is so easy to forget, that America is a journey, not an owned residence.  The moment we sense all should be at ease in Zion, America, land of the free, can be wrenched away by a letter laced with Anthrax, or a hi-jacked 757 jet pointed at our Trade Center. 

More than ever we need to use our freedom well.  Today’s children are told to expect their rights, to look to the likes of MTV stars who glorify hatred and self-promotion, professional athletes who can’t put two sentences together without profanity or an actual thought worth printing, or to Hollywood’s elite for qualities to emulate.  Rich, pampered and spoiled – ARE THESE OUR ROLE MODELS?  

On the other hand, literate, clear-thinking, right living Christian leaders are ridiculed.  Teachers are emasculated and handcuffed as educators.  Some kids make more than the teachers by selling drugs or worse. 

What are we inviting with this upside-down mentality?  We are inviting the judgment of God, as we teach the children they have no responsibility.  When  we teach them that they are entitled to everything, they learn they owe nothing to God or anyone. 

If this parallel with Israel holds for America, we must never forget!  Forgetting brings judgment. 

In the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew's devastation, as [Billy Graham’s’] grandson, Stephan Nelson, was working night and day helping the survivors to get water and food, he noticed a sign on the roof of one house which read: "Okay, God. You've got our attention. Now what?"^[5]

If forgetting brings judgment, the opposite is true:

Remembering brings blessing!

If we expect God to bless us it will mean this nation (starting with each person in this room) getting serious about using this gift of freedom well.  We must teach our children what the last measure of sacrifice meant for those who died on battlefields, and for those who lived lives of sacrificial service to their fellow-man. 

We must teach our children well what the last measure of sacrifice on the cross meant, and how we all really do owe someone something:  we owe God the right use of this freedom, not to bless our bank accounts, or our personal sense of satisfaction.  We owe our service, our allegiance, our very lives if required, to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  

We can stop asking, What’s in it for me? 

We can begin remembering to ask, What can I contribute?

IV.  Steps To Reclaim Our National Memory

A pastor told about two elderly women in church were discussing the problems of growing older.

One commented:  The worst thing is when your memory starts to go. I've known you all my life, and I can't think of your name. What is it?

The second lady thought for a moment and said:  Do you need an answer right now?^[6]

We need an answer RIGHT now

I want to suggest three actions we can take to begin to reclaim the memory of how we are freed, and what it means we must do and be.

First, we need to forget about hoping and praying for some Good ol’ days to return.  

The best day is not the past.  The best day is not tomorrow either; you never live in tomorrow, you only waste today anticipating. 

The very best is today; this is the time God gave you, and we must begin to live higher and stronger than what we see in the world today. 

Second, we need to repent of our forgetting.  

We have not made America great; nor did Thomas Jefferson or George Washington.  God used the brokenness of people such as you and me in past times, people who understood all comes from God, to build this great country to be the missionary force and bread basket to the world.    

We need to repent of thinking we can do anything apart from God.  That would be acting like grace does not exist.  Grace is when God does it all, such as at the cross.  Jesus died for our sins, and Scripture declares he did it all alone. 

Third, we need to rebuild family altars and sacrifice the flesh there every single day.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.  Romans 12:1-2^(NLT)

Sacrificing the flesh has nothing to do with animals on an altar.  It has everything to do with every day surrendering to the will of the Father for the sake of the Kingdom.  It means we live like Christians, because we don’t know what God is up to, but we trust that He is preparing all things well.

In his book, I Almost Missed the Sunset, Bill Gaither writes:

Gloria and I had been married a couple of years.  We were teaching school in Alexandria, Indiana, where I had grown up, and we wanted a piece of land where we could build a house.  I noticed the parcel south of town where cattle grazed, and I learned it belonged to a 92-year-old retired banker named Mr. Yule.  He owned a lot of land in the area, and the word was he would sell none of it. He gave the same speech to everyone who inquired:  "I promised the farmers they could use it for their cattle."

Gloria and I visited him at the bank.  Although he was retired, he spent a couple of hours each morning in his office.  

He looked at us over the top of his bifocals.

I introduced myself and told him we were interested in a piece of his land.  "Not selling," he said pleasantly.  "Promised it to a farmer for grazing."

"I know, but we teach school here and thought maybe you'd be interested in selling it to someone planning to settle in the area."

He pursed his lips and stared at me.  "What'd you say your name was?"

"Gaither.  Bill Gaither."

"Hmmm.  Any relation to Grover Gaither?"

"Yes, Sir.  He was my granddad."

Mr. Yule put down his paper and removed his glasses.  "Interesting.  Grover Gaither was the best worker I ever had on my farm.  Full day's work for a day's pay.  So honest.  What'd you say you wanted?"  I told him again.

"Let me do some thinking on it, then come back and see me."

I came back within the week, and Mr. Yule told me he had had the property appraised.  I held my breath.  "How does $3,800 sound?  Would that be okay?"

If that was per acre, I would have to come up with nearly $60,000!  "$3,800?" I repeated.

"Yup.  Fifteen acres for $3,800."

I knew it had to be worth at least three times that.  I readily accepted.

Nearly three decades later, my son and I strolled that beautiful, lush property that had once been pasture land.  "Benjy," I said, "you've had this wonderful place to grow up through nothing that you've done, but because of the good name of a great-granddad you never met."^[7] 

There are generations coming after us who don’t yet know – don’t have a clue – what freedom costs, how priceless a gift it is, and how important it is to use it well.  None of us can afford the luxury of spreading trash on those grounds.  That which we do today – such as

    committing our lives to Jesus,

    being faithful with our tithes and offerings,

    purchasing the new land for buildings we may never build,

    living a clean and pure life for Jesus,

    sharing our faith every day –

All of it is for the future, for the ones who will need to know when we’re gone what it is like to live free. 

It is called passing along the faith, the freedom, the gift. 

It’s why we remember!

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

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[1] By Senior Airman Nicole Sikorski, via Wikimedia Commons

[2] Sharon G. Uhler, “Memorial Day,” World Book Online Americas Edition, May 21, 2002

[3] America's Wars: Casualties and Veterans. (657,487 battlefield & 308,800 related theater)

[4] Julia Ward Howe, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, UMC Hymnal, (Nashville, 1975) 717

[5] Billy Graham in Storm Warning.  Christianity Today, Vol. 37, no. 5.

[6] Jacqueline J. Warner, Florence, Kentucky, Christian Reader, "Lite Fare."

[7] Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching (Baker), from the editors of Leadership.