Thank You For________

 

By Adam Faughn     I have been around a number of people (and I have done this myself at times) who have the practice of thanking military veterans. They learn that someone has served in the past, so they say a simple word of thanks. Maybe it is as simple as "Thank you for your service." While a simple statement, it is typically quite obvious that the veteran is grateful and honored by the sentiment of gratitude that is being offered.     This weekend, our nation celebrates a holiday that has a different tone. Memorial Day is a day on which we show a level of gratitude, but it is different because we cannot talk to the ones for whom we are grateful. They have, to use the common phrase, "paid the ultimate sacrifice," and we remember how they gave their lives to serve the country and protect us. We might be able to have any number of ceremonies to remember or to honor their sacrifice, but it is impossible to personally thank any of them.     It is quite common on this weekend to hear some connection made between Memorial Day and the cross, especially in thinking about the Lord's Supper. I have preached sermons along those lines in the past, and I know many others do each year. Comments made before the Lord's Supper quite often draw that comparison, and those thoughts can be both timely and helpful as we center our minds on the sacrifice of Jesus.     There is, though, one huge difference. While there is the very obvious comparison of sacrificing one's life for the benefit of another, there is also one massive contrast. It is this: we can personally thank Jesus for His sacrifice because He overcame death.     While the Lord's Supper is clearly a remembrance of what He did on the cross, Paul commands us to do this until Jesus returns. How can that be? Death could not hold our Lord! The tomb is empty. Death has been defeated.     We often sing a spiritual song that begins with the lyrics, "I serve a risen Savior." Those are very simple words, but few things we ever sing could be more profound. He did die. He made the ultimate sacrifice. But three days later, to quote another spiritual song, "The tomb was found empty." Even if we were absolutely certain of its location, it would do no good to visit the tomb because Jesus's body is not there. The angel, in very simple words, said it best, "He is risen!"     On Memorial Day, I hope each of us will take at least a moment to be grateful for those who have paid with their lives for our freedoms. It is a good and honorable thing to do. Whether you take part in some formal ceremony or not, it is always good to pause and remember what others have done to make this possible.     Regularly, whether you express it in words or not, I hope you will live with gratitude in your heart for those who are remembered on another holiday, Veteran's Day. They may not have given their life's blood, but they served, and we are thankful for their service.     But every moment of every day, I hope that we, as God's people, will be grateful that our Lord and Savior is the only One to Whom we can express both. We should thank Him that He was the ultimate servant, and we should thank Him for His ultimate sacrifice. Because He lives, we can express both to Him. May we realize how amazing what He has done for us truly is

- Adam Faughn preaches for the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.centralchurchofchrist.org Visit the Faughn Family blog, A Legacy of Faith

Memorial Day and The Lord’s Warrior Spirit

By Ron Thomas

    1 Sam. 17:26-27 And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
     And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.” ... 1 Sam. 17:32-36
    And David said to Saul, “Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
    And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.”
    But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” .... 1 Sam. 17:45-47
    The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.”
    Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hand.”
    It’s not possible for us to remain standing as a country without the Lord on our side. 

- Ron Thomas preacher for the Sunrush Church of Christ, Chillicothe, OH. He may be contacted through the congregation's website. http://sunrushchurchofchrist.com/

Some Items to Remember on Memorial Day

By Bill Brandstatter

    This is Memorial Day weekend. During this time of year, we pause to remember. We remember the ones who died for our nation's freedom. We remember the loved ones in general who have gone on before. The basic idea of remembering is to look back. We are looking back this weekend. Let us go through some biblical accounts and take a look back. All these will begin with word “remember” or “remembrance” and are in no particular order.
    Remember the Word I have spoken: John 15:20: There is an idea here that Jesus not only wants us to remember but also to do. Jesus’s word will judge us (John 12:48). How is our spiritual memory? Many people have a memory problem. Sometimes we remember what the scripture says, but we don’t believe it applies to us. Let us remember the following from the Word of God: The wonderful works of God (Rom. 11:33); the death of Christ (1 Cor. 11:25-26); the teachings of the gospel (Rom. 1:16). To remember Christ’s words would include obeying them and incorporating them into your life. The words of Christ are very important to salvation (John 12:48, John 14:24, 1 Tim. 6:3, Matt. 24:35).
    Remember Me: Luke 23:42: This is the statement of the thief on the cross. We often focus on the statement made by Jesus in response to the thief: “Today you will be with me in paradise"; but the statement the thief made is very important. What does this statement say? He wanted to do what pleased Jesus. He wanted to be where Jesus was. He wasn’t afraid to confess something about Christ even while facing certain death. He had an attitude of repentance. Certainly, we want the Lord to remember us when the crowns are handed out. (1 Cor. 9:25; 2Tim. 4:8; Rev. 2:10). We cannot be saved like the thief on the cross. He didn’t have to believe anything about Christ’s death. I do! (Rom. 10:9) He couldn’t be baptized into the death of Christ; (Rom. 6:3); I must be. The thief on the cross lived and died under the Law of Moses. That law was nailed to the cross and taken out of the way. (Col. 2:14). When God “remembers” us He looks back at what we have done.
    Remember that Jesus was raised from the dead: 2 Tim. 2:8: This gives us hope beyond the grave (1 Cor. 15:14). Some in New Testament times thought that the resurrection had already past (2 Tim. 2:18). The Sadducees said there was no resurrection of the dead. (1 Cor. 15:12) The whole basis of the Christian experience is based in large part, not only on salvation, but on the hope of a resurrection someday. The Lord’s Supper is to be taken every Sunday for this purpose. (1 Cor. 11:24, 25)
    Certainly, there are other passages that contain the word “remember.” These three are significant and should get our attention as we remember this weekend.

- Bill Brandstatter preaches for the Marion Church of Christ in Marion, IL. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://marionchurchofchrist.com/

A Life That Matters

By Joe Chesser

    This is a weekend for remembering.  It’s a time to hold special services and a time for going to the cemeteries to decorate graves with flowers and pictures. We do this to remember and honor those who so gallantly defended our country’s freedom with their lives.  We also remember and honor those who hold a special place in our past – family, friends and other special people. We do this to keep alive in our memories those special people whose lives mattered to us.
    What is it that we remember?  What is it that makes a person’s life live on after they have died?  A popular inspirational reading captures some of what I am thinking:
    "What will matter most is...
                        not what you bought, but what you built.
                        not what you got, but what you gave.
                        not your success, but your significance.
                        not that you learned, but that you taught.
                        not your competence, but your character.
                        not your memories, but the memories that live on in those who love you.
    It’s so easy to major in minors, to let the insignificant dominate the important.  It’s so easy to let making a living become more important than making a life.  It’s so easy to believe that what you have is more important that who you are.  It’s so much easier to buy gifts than it is to give yourself.
    You don’t have to be wealthy or talented or educated to live a life that matters.  In fact, these are often the very things that prevent you from living a life that matters.  Despite living in “extreme poverty,” the Macedonians lived lives that mattered.  The rich young ruler didn’t (2 Cor. 8:1-5, Matt. 19:16-24).  Though he had social status and education, the Pharisee did not choose to live a life that mattered.  Yet, the humble tax collector did (Luke 18:9-14).
    Living a life that matters is not an accident.  It’s about making the right choices. Choose people over possessions. Choose giving over getting.  Choose others over self.  Choose God over anything or anyone else.
    This Memorial Day weekend is a good time to remember how others had lived. While you are at it, take time to reflect on your own life. Are you living a life that matters?  When others think of you, will they think of God?

- Joe Chesser preaches for the Fruitland Church of Christ, Fruitland, MO.  He may be contacted at joeandareva@yahoo.com

The Ballad of Fort McHenry

By David Bragg

    On the evening of September 13, 1814 an American diplomat found himself stuck on a British vessel watching a fierce bombardment of Baltimore's Fort McHenry. The state of affairs looked grim. As he spent the night detained by the enemy, Francis Scott Key looked out across the waters towards the American fort. But with the dawn of a new day the American cause found strength. The flag still waved above the fort. That morning, on the back of a letter he happened to find in his pocket, Key began to compose a poem that would be finalized within a week. He called it “The Defense of Fort McHenry.”
    Over the space of many years the beloved song would grow in popularity as it was sung in patriotic settings and, in 1862, at a major sporting event. The patriotic tune would also be sung to inaugurate the first World Series game in 1903 (www.pbs.org). Many attempts were made to have it adopted as America’s official national anthem, but that would not happen until March 3, 1931 when President Herbert Hoover made “The Star-Spangled Banner” America's song.
    For Christians of every generation the familiar words penned by Key have special meaning: "the land of the free and the home of the brave." We are citizens of a heavenly kingdom/nation (Phil. 3:20). As such, our freedom is purchased with the precious blood of Jesus (Acts 20:28). Our spiritual liberty demands courage, the willingness to stand up for, and suffer if necessary for, the cause of Christ. It requires courage to live faithfully in the kingdom of the saved.

- David Bragg serves as one of the ministers at the Northwest Church of Christ in Greensboro, NC and is co-editor of BulletinGold. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.nwchurchofchrist.com/ or his blog: http://davidbragg.blogspot.com/

Memorial Day

By David Ferguson

     Paul wrote in Romans 13:7, "Render to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor." This is Memorial Day weekend, and in that vein let us, too, give honor to all whom honor is due. Let us remember all of those who have gone before us who have made the ultimate sacrifice in order that we can still have those freedoms we cherish and hold so dear.

     Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, honors those who gave their lives in our nation’s wars. It was shortly following the conclusion of the War Between the States that General John A. Logan inaugurated the holiday in 1868. Citizens began placing flowers on the graves of those who fell in battle, and now the fallen from all wars are commemorated.

     While Waterloo, New York was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Baines Johnson in May 1966, it is difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings. The cities and towns that suffered so much loss during those war-torn years that split apart our nation contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in General Logan giving his official proclamation on May 5, 1868. It seems to have been a natural manifestation of our nation’s collective grieving process.

     Paul compared our Christian life to that of a soldier: "But I counted it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow-worker and fellow-soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need…." (Philippians 2:25) And to Timothy he wrote, "Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 2:3) He also admonished us as soldiers to put on the whole panoply of God: "Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…." (Ephesians 6:13-17)

     As members of the Lord’s army, and citizens of His kingdom, let us also not forget our own fallen ones who have given their lives for the sake of the gospel: Stephen, Paul, Peter, James, etc. But most importantly, do not forget the sacrifice of the One Who made it possible for us to have the hope of eternal life: Jesus Christ.

     May God bless you and yours!

- David R. Ferguson preaches for the Lakeland Church of Christ in Mattoon, IL.  He may be contacted at davidferguson61@yahoo.com   You may also want to visit the congregation's website at http://lakelandchurchofchrist.web.officelive.com/default.aspx