Last week as I was looking for a prayer to use in our worship service this Memorial Day Weekend I found some discussion on whether or not Memorial Day should be observed in a church worship service. It is not a part of the Christian Calendar meaning it is not a religious holiday. It is more of a civic holiday.
So there are some who feel it has no place in a Christian worship service. It should be left to celebrate on Monday in a community setting. Others might go to the opposite side and create their whole Sunday service based on Memorial Day. I also saw suggestions to go in the middle and include Memorial Day remembrances in a time of prayer.
I went more in the middle and we had a nice little time to remember those who have served our country. I also used an illustration from military life in my sermon because it connected to the Scripture and to tie in this special weekend.
What are the thoughts of others out there about the role Memorial Day should play in a Christian worship service? Share why you lean one way or the other? If you choose the middle ground then tell me why you would make that decision?
P.S. I also went to the Memorial Day Service in our town square and thought the speaker did a wonderful job of calling out my younger generation to know our past and respect those who came before us.
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A very timely observation, James. Yesterday I got an email from my sister-in-law letting us know that her niece's husband, Mark Stratton, had been killed in Afghanistan. Mark leaves behind his wife Jenn and three small children. He was career Air Force and was to be coming home in July. And so the question of should God play a role in Memorial Day is rather moot to me. Of course. How can you see it any other way? God was with Mark in his final moments as he is with Jenn, her kids, Mark's parents and others as they grieve. It is his strength that will pull them along. It's our belief in The Great Plan that allows us to move on with our lives. It all happens for a reason and that reason is His. This country was founded with strong religious influence...In God We Trust and all that. How can we turn our backs? How can we say that God is not a part of our country, our war and our peace?
Angie Chipman, who was the speaker at the service in the park, is a good friend of ours and she did an excellent job on Monday. We are so very proud of her.
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