This Memorial Day weekend, we should remember the selfless sacrifice of our nation’s veterans who fought to preserve the freedoms and liberties we all hold dear. We applaud that sacrifice and admire the courage of our service members who were willing to stand the watch.
The origins of Memorial Day can be traced back to the aftermath of the American Civil War. Communities across this divided nation began placing flowers on soldiers’ graves as acts of remembrance, healing, and hope. Memorial Day was born out of great national sorrow. Originally called Decoration Day, it emerged as a response to the deadliest conflict in American history then and still to this day. It’s intention was a way to honor those who gave their lives on both sides of the battlefield. Local assemblies gathered to honor the dead of the Union and Confederate Soldiers.
As the conflict ended in 1865, people across the country began holding ceremonies to honor all soldiers who had died in the conflict. The first national observance was declared by General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic on May 5, 1868. The day was designated as a time to decorate the graves of the fallen with flowers and to hold ceremonies to honor their sacrifice. One of the earliest known ceremonies took place in Charleston, South Carolina, in May 1865, when a group of freed slaves gathered to commemorate fallen Union soldiers buried in a local racecourse.
Over time, Memorial Day became an important national holiday, honoring all Americans who died while serving in the military. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a federal holiday to be celebrated on the last Monday in May.
In light of that context, let us turn to the words of Luke 4:16-19 regarding Jesus:
“He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Jesus’ followers at the time responded with enthusiasm. Israel had been waiting for a liberating King and leader who would restore the prominence of the nation, restoring both religious and civil liberties to the people. How easy it would have been to hear the words of Jesus and miss their deeper meaning. On a national holiday like this, it would be easy to look to the flag or the monument instead of the cross and the empty tomb. This Memorial Day, let me encourage you to both be grateful for the service members who have fought for us and, at the same time, to lift high the name of Jesus, who has given us true freedom. There is no greater oppression known to mankind than the bondage of sin and guilt. Satan uses it to weigh us down, and our very souls feel the impact of sin’s distancing from our Heavenly Father. To be liberated from the shackles of sin and death is the greatest victory ever won — we have much for which to be grateful.
For followers of Christ, this day also calls us to prayer, not just for remembrance, but for peace and reconciliation. After the Civil War, believers lifted up their voices to God, seeking unity and healing for a fractured land. Today, we join in that legacy, asking God to mend what is broken in our time as well.
May we remember the fallen with reverence, thank God for our freedoms, and proclaim the deeper freedom found in Christ — a freedom that brings peace not only to nations but also to the human heart.
In peace, with gratitude,
Jaisen Fuson, EFCC Elder
U.S. Navy, Retired