Memorial Day
Read Exod. 12 (note vss. 26-27) MEMORIALS AND THEIR MEANING This day shall be unto you for a memorial The memorial idea has prevailed among all kinds of people from the earliest times. The Old Testament contains the record of many memorials. The greatest of these was the day set apart to commemorate the safety of the people of Israel from the destroying angel and their deliverance from bondage to the oppressor. Year by year, generation by generation, this occasion was ordered set apart as a time of joyous gratitude to God. FATHER OF ETERNITY, we come to Thee in Thy greatness; we look to Thee for strength in this time of overwhelming need. Grant us the power to accept and to stand up to all our tasks. Give us wisdom to plan with clear mind and understanding heart. Beyond our sense of power may we have the spirit of righteousness and live. We ask it in Christ’s name. Amen. William Everett Roberts
Read Ps. 137: 1-6 THE CHALLENGE OF PATRIOTISM If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. The Forth of July is no time for a shallow celebration. Patriotism is too sacred for that. The man who said, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning,” was far from home and in a strange land. The uppermost thought in his mind was his own country, his city, his home. He had been asked to sing a song of his native land while in captivity, and he had refused on the grounds that it might appear that he was forgetting his own dear city. This man of Bible times was willing to consecrate his all—whatever it may be—for love of his country. O ETERNAL GOD, in Thee do we trust. May we keep sacred the heritage from our fathers and mothers. Bless, we pray Thee, those who keep the home fires burning, and those who defend our land. E.P. Anderson
Read Heb. 11: 24-40 CHOSEN TO SUFFER They therefore departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name All of us are called upon to suffer in one way or another. Much of our suffering goes to waste because it is not geared up with an all-compelling purpose. A great cause, such as liberty, chooses those who are big enough to endure hardships; who can laugh at privations; who are willing to give up privileges, comforts, and ease. It chooses people like the apostles who, after being treated in a most shameful way and cruelly flogged, came from that experience rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ. OUR FATHER, we are being called upon to suffer for the sake of all people everywhere. The great cause of liberty, with all that it means, is calling for people who are worthy. Wilt Thou make us worthy in every way. Keep the high purpose of freedom uppermost in our hearts and cleanse us from all selfishness. Dedicate us anew to the high cause of world unity and give us the victory of an enduring peace. And so shall our suffering be not in vain. In the Spirit of Christ we pray. Amen. Dovert Walton McElroy
Read John 14:15-31 WHEN THE GUNS STOP They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks. To most in the armed forces, the time visualized by Micah seems a long way off. Even the end of the present war seems very distant. Yet it will come, and it’s good to prepare spiritually for the letdown that the armistice will bring. OUR FATHER, although now we be people at war Thou knowest that we would rather be people of peace. Help us to learn those principles upon which a lasting peace may be built. Help us to learn to love one another. Help us to walk in the footsteps of our unity-loving Prince of Peace. In His name. Amen. Norman E. Nygaard
Read Luke 2: 1-20 CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION On earth peace, goodwill toward men. This is Christmas Eve, and tomorrow will be the celebration of the greatest day of the world’s history—the birthday of your Savior and mine. You can celebrate it in two ways. First, you can go out and do things you will be sorry for afterward. Yesterday morning on the train were some soldiers. One said to the other, “How did I get into lower six of this Pullman?” and the other answered, “I’ll tell you Buddy—the porter put you there, and the last thing you did was to spray a lady in the opposite berth with your vomit. A nice way to celebrate, Buddy.” The other fellow’s head dropped in his hands in shame, and he said, “And I promised my girl I’d quit it.” That was celebration without cerebration. You can do that with Christmas. If so, then your head will be in your hands at the end, if not literally then figuratively. O GOD, on this Christmas Eve I give in response to Thy gift. I give myself. It’s all I have, but it is Thine. Amen. E. Stanley Jones |