Yesterday I
was blessed to have the opportunity to join the Eyota American Legion Post 551
in providing brief Memorial Day ceremonies at several local cemeteries. It was
a time to reflect on the sacrifices that our service men and women have made
for our nation. Here were my words:
We gather together today to honor
those who have served our nation, those who have given of
themselves,
sacrificing their time, their careers, and their families to stand in the gap
to defend our freedom. This is a day for
thanking those veterans who live among us, those who were discharged from the
service with honor and distinction. We
are honored to have some of these veterans with us this morning.
But today is also a day to remember
those veterans who do not live among us…those who now rest in these graves and
in graves throughout our world…those whose service ended with a bullet…or
grenade...a mortar…a roadside bomb...or other tragic end. These did not serve for a few years and move
on in life. No, they sacrificed
everything for the cause of freedom.
They left behind wives and husbands, children and neighbors and
friends. Today, we honor them and vow to
remember what they have done.
Gracious God, on this Memorial Day
weekend, we remember and give thanks for those who have given their lives in
the service of our country. When the need was greatest, they stepped forward
and did their duty to defend the freedoms that we enjoy, and to win the same
for others. O God, you yourself have taught us that no love is greater than
that which gives itself for another. These honored dead gave the most precious
gift they had, life itself, for loved ones and neighbors, for comrades and
country – and for us. Help us to honor their memory by caring for the family
members they have left behind, by ensuring that their wounded comrades are
properly cared for, by being watchful caretakers of the freedoms for which they
gave their lives, and by demanding that no other young men and women follow
them to a soldier’s grave unless the reason is worthy and the cause is just.
Holy One, help us to remember that freedom is not free. There are times when
its cost is, indeed, dear. Never let us forget those who paid so terrible a
price to ensure that freedom would be our legacy. Though their names may fade
with the passing of generations, may we never forget what they have done. Help
us to be worthy of their sacrifice, O God, help us to be worthy. Amen.
(Prayer in
final paragraph from United Church of Christ, Worship Ways, Vol. 7, No. 3)
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