May 25, 2025
Memorial Day has a long history in the United States. It was first celebrated on May 30, 1868, one hundred fifty-seven years ago, to honor those Union soldiers killed in the American Civil War. It has since been expanded to include all those Americans that gave their lives in battle on behalf of our country. Memorial Day is always observed on the last Monday of May. It includes decorating the graves of men and women that paid the ultimate price for our freedom with flags and flowers. This is why it is also called Decoration Day.
Our nation’s wars have claimed a staggering total of lives: it is estimated that approximately one million, two hundred thousand men and women died in armed conflict. There are also many others who remain unaccounted for. We do well to commemorate their sacrifices. They died so that we might live. This is why we celebrate Memorial Day. I would encourage you to join in one of the observances near you.
When we reflect on these sacrificial deaths, we recognize that each brings a measure of temporary relief. It is why wars are repeatedly fought by the same nation, sometimes against the very same enemy. For example, my maternal grandfather, born in 1895, was witness to the Spanish-American War, World War I (in which he participated), World War II, the Korean Conflict, and Vietnam. While any level of peace is to be desired, permanent peace proves elusive.
This is why the sacrificial (and substitutionary) death of Jesus Christ is so significant. Like those of military combatants, his death was bloody. Biblically speaking, the blood of animal sacrifices prescribed within the Mosaic law reminds the giver of the cost and violence of sin and atonement for it. Notice Leviticus 17:11 – “I [God] have given it [blood] to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls.” This is true of those sacrifices associated with God’s forgiveness and embrace. Notice, too, what the apostle Paul writes in Romans 5:1 – “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” This, too, is a result of Jesus’ bloody death on behalf of humanity. His death provides the only effective covering for God’s righteous wrath. We do not want to stand in God’s presence on the day of judgment without being shielded by Jesus’ blood.
The writer of Hebrews reminds us, “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). The repetition of such sacrifices clearly showed that any relief was only temporary. The benefit brought by Christ’s sacrifice is, in contrast, permanent. Notice the emphasis placed on the once-for-all nature of his work (Hebrews 10:10, 12,14). No, only Christ’s atoning sacrifice brings permanent peace between a repentant and believing sinner and a loving and just God.
Theology For Sheep 