Joshua 1:1-9; John 15:1-17
As you all know this is Memorial Day weekend. The kids are all off for a long weekend and many are gone away. There are usually many picnics and family gatherings. This is one of those special days that I often wonder if it is celebrated for the right reasons. Do the kids or even some adults truly understand what we are remembering or is it just a good excuse for a long weekend?
What does memorial mean? Dictionary def: something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc., as a monument or a holiday.
Okay so Memorial Day is a time to remember and honor all those who have given their lives for the sake of others. We remember the sacrifice of all who have died while serving their country.
Now can you tell me what the word “sacrifice” means? The word, ‘sacrifice’, is defined as giving up something of value for the sake of something else more important or worthy.
So today we remember those who sacrificed for others. We remember and honor those who endured warfare, suffered injuries and watched their fellow troops attacked, and especially on this Memorial Day we remember those who died in service to our country. We remember not only soldiers, sailors and airmen who were in combat, but we also remember nurses, doctors and transport drivers who worked in terrible conditions to care for the wounded and the dying. We remember the innocent civilians who became casualties of war. This weekend is a time to remember.
It is hard to remember the horrors of war and yet as Ecclesiastes 3:8 states “There is a time for war and a time for peace.” Unfortunately there are many stories of war in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. There is one particular one I would like us to look at this morning. It is the battle Joshua faced.
Joshua had been Moses’ right hand man and had been there as the Israelites were saved from the slavery of the Egyptians and he was there as they journeyed through the wilderness and fought battles against other nations. As time went on, God actually instructed Moses to commission Joshua as his successor. Today’s reading takes us to life after Moses when the Lord talked directly to Joshua. To put it briefly, God said to Joshua, “Now you are in charge and you can proceed into the Promised Land. There may be battles ahead but God says to him, “No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them.” Joshua 1:5-6 (NRSV)
In this first chapter of Joshua the phrase “Be strong and courageous” is written 4 times and then once more in chapter 10. The command of God is not for Joshua to go forth on his own strength.
God reminds him, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you…” Vs 9 ends our reading with God’s words again…”I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Men and Women who go off to serve our country in any of the military branches need to be strong and courageous. I have two nephews who served and were sent to Iraq. Before they left I sent each of them a small wooden cross. They each said thank you when they received them but what was even nicer is when they came home and showed me the cross and let me know how much it helped in some rough times.
As God goes with them – our men and women go into battle Strong and Courageous for the sake of our freedom and protection. Those we are honoring today are those who gave the biggest sacrifice and died in battle for the sake of others.
Let me share a story that helps us remember what sacrifice really is….In the book, A Cup of Chicken Soup for the Soul, there is a story called “Special Orders” by: Author Unknown.
Horror gripped the heart of the World War I soldier as he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle. Caught in a trench with continuous gunfire whizzing over his head, the soldier asked his lieutenant if he might go out into the “No Man’s Land” between the trenches to bring his fallen comrade back.
“You can go,” said the Lieutenant, “but I don’t think it will be worth it. Your friend is probably dead and you may throw your own life away.” The Lieutenant’s words didn’t matter, and the soldier went anyway.
Miraculously he managed to reach his friend, hoist him onto his shoulder, and bring him back to their company’s trench. As the two of them tumbled in together to the bottom of the trench, the officer checked the wounded soldier, then looked kindly at his friend.
“I told you it wouldn’t be worth it,” he said. “Your friend is dead, and you are mortally wounded.”
“It was worth it, though, sir,” the soldier said.
“How do you mean, ‘worth it?’ ” responded the Lieutenant. “Your friend is dead!”
“Yes sir,” the private answered. “But it was worth it because when I got to him, he was still alive, and I had the satisfaction of hearing him say, ‘Jim, I knew you’d come.’ “
This is only one of many stories of people who have sacrificed themselves for the sake of others. Can you remember a time when someone sacrificed themselves for another person, maybe for you?
Oh wait, I have a story that you have probably heard before but let me remind you.. Jesus Christ served in the hardest war ever fought – the war against sin and death and he fought it for all of us. He fought the battle and He alone won the battle but because He sacrificed we are given victory.
Jesus endured the battles, suffered the wounds and died BUT He was risen from the depths of the grave and He lives! And because of his sacrifice we too will live forever more!
The men and women we remember this Memorial Day sacrificed so that we and so many others can know freedom from oppression, dictators, and injustices of all kinds.
Jesus sacrificed so we can have eternal freedom. Freedom from the sins that bind us and from the battle against the evil that tempts us each day.
Today we may not have to go to battle but we are called by God to Be Strong and Courageous for His Sake…the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We go into battle not with artillery but with the Word of God. As we remember those who gave their life, let us be strong and courageous with this life we have! May we be strong enough to courageously live for Him!
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