Redemptive Commemoration

I recently saw a picture on Facebook of a mourning woman sprawled out in front of a veteran’s grave. The caption read: “MEMORIAL DAY: In case you thought it was national BBQ day.” The words caught my attention. Too often I focus more on getting a day off work or spending some quality time with friends eating patriotic themed Jell-O and floating in the pool. While those things in and of themselves are not wrong, it did get me thinking.

I recently saw a picture on Facebook of a mourning woman sprawled out in front of a veteran’s grave. The caption read: “MEMORIAL DAY: In case you thought it was national BBQ day.” The words caught my attention. Too often I focus more on getting a day off work or spending some quality time with friends eating patriotic themed Jell-O and floating in the pool. While those things in and of themselves are not wrong, it did get me thinking.

Humans are forgetful creatures by nature. You would think that having a holiday to help us commemorate the service men who have died would help us to recall their sacrifice. The very word “memorial” brings to mind the word “memory.” Yet, sometimes we can have a hard time remembering the importance of this holiday.

What’s even worse is that we are too quick to forget spiritual moments of significance in our lives as well. Recently, I’ve been studying the story of the Passover in Exodus 12. Most of us recall the story of Moses and the exodus from Sunday School lessons we’ve heard, but two things in particular stood out this time.

First, as they were being saved from bondage in Egypt, God said to Moses, “This month will be for you the beginning of the months; it is to be the first of the months of the year to you” (v. 2). Their calendar year was built around how God saved them and called them out to be his people. As each new year started, they would be reminded of God’s goodness in their lives and it would serve as a memorial for coming generations.

Second, the Israelites were to pass down this Passover observance to future generations (vv. 24–28). Parents play a crucial role in teaching their children about the Lord, and in fact are commanded to tell their offspring of the redemptive work of God in their lives.

Their Passover celebrations demonstrate the importance of remembering God’s goodness and passing it down from generation to generation, and foreshadowed and even great redemptive act of God. The Israelites were saved from physical bondage from Egypt. As believers, we have been saved from spiritual bondage to sin through Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf.

As we remember our fallen soldiers, don’t forget to spend some time reflecting on the greatest sacrifice of all. Take a moment to talk with your family about how Christ is the ultimate example of laying one’s life down for another. If the Israelites were to remember how God saved them from Egypt, how much more ought we to remember how God has saved us for all eternity!