by David Cassidy, Pastor at Christ Community Church
Its not a bad way to begin the summer. I took in the parade of children joyfully graduating from fifth grade at Walnut Grove, picked up some yard supplies to nourish the grass and throttle the weeds, and headed over to the grocery to pick up the mandatory steaks, marinade ingredients, corn on the cob, and charcoal for a restful Memorial Day feast on Monday.
Several of my friends are already headed for various beaches and, with the weather taking a sudden autumnal turn, I was tempted to join them. My hope is that by the start of the week we’re back to a sunny mid-80s kind of afternoon, one which will find me sipping on a Pimms and enjoying the way salt works its wonders on ribeye.
There’s a shadow though, isn’t there, on this summer gatekeeping holiday. Well at least there is for me. Its a pleasant shade, one which allows us to rest, guarding us from the violent unrelenting oppression of unbridled sun. In some ways it’s a flag-shaped shadow, a remembrance of heroic men and women who would’ve loved to attend the graduation ceremonies, or a baseball game, backyard grill, and smoked a cigar while telling stories about some past splendors and future hopes. But they can’t.
In a way, we have to take them with us: to the picnics, and beaches; to the ballgames and back porches; to the DIY projects and the concerts. We have to bring them with us lovingly, gratefully, and joyously. We need to do this, saluting those who currently serve, while expressing respect for those who perished protecting liberty and advancing human dignity. Patriotism can be a dangerous thing, turning at times into an idol that summons us to worship power as a god, ignoring the faults and forgetting that humility is a quiet virtue which stands at the root of freedom. But the absence of Patriotism can be equally flawed, leading to a cynical, angry, and bitter disregard for the sacrifice others lovingly made so the cynics can complain.
For all the dangers that may exist in the realm of Patriotism, I still believe that it is better to die fighting as a free than to live like a slave. I learned that at the hands of previous generations, the graves of which mark our own town, and slowly fill the gently undulating hills of the Veterans Cemetery just to the north of here. General George Patton said, “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” That’s slightly overstated. There’s nothing wrong with mourning the death of the men and women who gave their all so we can have it all. The real issue is whether or not we pause to remember and give thanks.
In Scripture there is a story about ten lepers who come to Christ for healing; he mercifully and powerfully restores them to health as they make their journey homeward from their encounter with him. Interestingly, only one of the ten turns around and heads back to Jesus to offer thanks. Just one.
There are thousands and thousands who have served and died to make this land a place of relative freedom and opportunity. Our debt to them is incalculable. Lets make sure that this Memorial Day weekend that while we enjoy a race in Indianapolis, a beer on the beach, or a burger on the back porch, we are also found in the company of the man who stopped to say ‘Thank You.’ On behalf of my father-in-law, now buried, a Vet of WW2 and former POW who suffered so, I’d be grateful.
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