to honor and remember

We've just observed Memorial Day—a time to think about all the military personnel who have suffered, and especially those who lost their lives serving our country and our values as American people. We certainly ought to remember them, and honor them. We should also be mindful of their families who have sacrificed right along with them. Some of you may be among those who have lost someone close in service to our nation. We honor your loss.

And, because I’m in the business of words, among other things, that got me thinking about the whole idea of “celebrating” Memorial Day. And, obviously, that’s an awkward word at best to note how we observe this particular holiday. And since I just listened to a news program at lunch today (I’m writing this on May 21) about generative AI and the pros & cons/strengths & weaknesses of letting the magical fairies in your computer do human style “thinking” for you, I decided to ask Google’s AI to explain the point of Memorial Day to me. This is part of what it said:

Memorial Day is a national holiday observed in the United States…to honor and remember those who died while serving in the U.S. military. It is a day of remembrance, reflection, and solemn acknowledgement of their sacrifices.

That’s not a bad explanation of Memorial Day.

It seems that even AI “knows” that using the word “celebrate” is inappropriate in the context of Memorial Day. It is a solemn day of pondering the sacrifices soldiers and sailors have made to benefit the rest of us. Google’s AI went on to specifically say in a bullet point:

Not a celebration: It's not intended as a "happy" holiday, and it's important to be mindful of the solemn nature of the day.

I was pleased to see that it managed to “scrape” that nuanced truth out of all the various postings on the internet.

Through the ages millions of men and women have sacrificed their lives in order to bless other people—to make the world a better place—even if just for a single person. Some have done it as soldiers, others have done it as police officers, firefighters, lifeguards, and others simply as civilians who were on hand in a moment of peril. And they have made positive differences for millions of people, often just one at a time.

Church history is full of examples of people who have done such things in the name of Christ and in service of his Kingdom, too. The ancient church used to honor these people under 3 forms:

Red martyr = someone who is literally killed for the faith, like St Stephen (Acts7);

White martyr = someone who gives up much in to serve the church in some way;

Green martyr = someone who leaves their home and travels to a new place for the church.

All 3 groups are worthy of our honor, because we have all been blessed by their sacrifice…even if we never knew them. They have served the kingdom of God, and made our spiritual lives richer. We have all been blessed by those who have given greatly of themselves—we honor them!

Peace be with you, as you reflect on the many who have blessed you through their sacrifices,

Pastor Derek