Memorial Day was this past Monday, and, like most Americans, I enjoyed my day off of work. I spent time with friends and family, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. If anyone saw me, you’ll notice I didn’t wear anything with red, white, and blue. I didn’t wear anything that said, “Support our troops” or “Pray for our troops.” I didn’t wave an American flag. It’s not that I’m not proud to be American (in the same way, that I may be proud to be English if I was born in England). I am proud of many things America does, and, on the other hand, I’m not proud of many other things. The thing is, as Christians, we are called to salute a different Commander-in-chief, that is, Jesus Christ. He is our King, and I do not and will not compromise my allegiance to this King. However, even though the premise of Memorial Day is a dark one (in that, it surrounds the death of individuals), I believe it provides us with many reminders.
1. Memorial Day is a good reminder that Death, though wounded, is alive and still strong. Christ has defeated Death, wounded it, and it will one day be eradicated. However, Memorial Day reminds us that Death still…err…kills people. American troops over many years have died because the problem of Death still exists. Any thoughts to the contrary are contested on days like Memorial Day.
2. Memorial Day is a reminder that the Christian family is trans-national. Christ, who is my brother and my God, has shown me that his family is anyone who does the will of the Father, and, so Christians, no matter our national boundaries, are brothers and sisters of one another. As Christians, it is not America versus the rest of the world. It is not “God Bless America” only, but it is, as one bumper sticker says, “God bless the whole world. No exceptions.” I do pray that God blesses America, but I do pray that God bless Iraq, England, France, and the rest of the world. Lord knows, we need his blessing. But what would it be like if the one firing the bullet thought that his or her brother may be on the other end? Wouldn’t that change his or her perspective?
3. Memorial Day is a reminder that those who live by the sword, die by the sword. It is likely no secret to many of you that I align myself with non-violence, and it sickens me (and I believe the heart of Christ) when the sword, no matter who is wielding it, kills someone. The Roman Empire was a clear-cut example of living and dying by the sword. They took over “the world” through massacring and waging war against other nations, spreading their ideals throughout “the world.” Their fall was also by the end of the sword. Barbarians took over parts of Rome (which was already weak from violence and betrayal in other areas) by wiping out its rulers.
4. Memorial Day is a reminder to love those even those who disagree with you. One could easily withdraw from society on Memorial Day. One could easily say, “No, thanks,” to the multitude of barbeques. However, Christ calls us to love the people of the world even if we don’t agree with what they celebrate. [To other Christian, non-violent “ordinary radicals” (Shane Claiborne reference), Memorial Day is a good reminder to love people where they are, not what they have been. It would be un-Christlike to treat soldiers in any other way than with the love of Christ.]
5. Memorial Day is also a good reminder to follow the Church calendar, which is not focused around things like consumerism and Empire, but a reminder to shape our lives around the story of Christ and his Church. Reminder: Pentecost (in the West) is on May 31st and is the single, most important day for the celebration of the Holy Spirit. Sadly, many focus their churches and lives around the American calendar and won’t even acknowledge these things.
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Excellent. Well said.
I’m still a little fuzzy on how celebrating Memorial Day in any way compromises your allegiance to Christ or negates following the Church calendar.
I was reading an article before Memorial Day that got me thinking along a lot of the same lines that you just wrote. I liked a lot what you had to say. Also, I think that Memorial Day for Christians can be a great reminder to us of all of those who have sacrificed their lives following God and be thankful for their had work and commitment to Christ. Thanks for your thoughts.
@Ben
I suppose it more has to do with my evangelical background which has been “in bed” (so to speak) with the American government. Everything America does [or maybe just Republicans] is good and right in God’s eyes. For me, as a non-violent Christian, celebrating Memorial Day is celebrating America’s violent efforts across the world. I suppose it’s the Anabaptist in me. Celebrating Memorial Day doesn’t negate the Church calendar, but prioritizing it over the Church calendar (to me) is poor judgment on the part of Christians. Like I said, many [perhaps, only evangelical] Christians will likely celebrate Memorial Day than Pentecost. Doesn’t that strike you as odd? It does for me.
I understand a little better now. And I can agree that the Moral Majority and the Religious Right have done a great deal to harm the image of Christianity in the world by falling in with the Republicans. That discussion is… another matter.
It is funny that historically the Church has fallen on the “render unto Caesar” side of the spectrum of supporting the government. Of course, when it comes down to brass tacks there have been men and women who stood up for the Truth.
I only mean this to say that perhaps the middle road is the best here. There is nothing wrong with observing state holidays as long as, as you pointed out, you do not hold them over the calendar of the Church. Also, the Church historically has not condemned war, and the state has the right and obligation to wage war to protect its citizens. Now, the role of individual Christians in these actions is another matter entirely and the solutions are always pastoral in nature. There is no universal rule. These are the situations that drive fundamentalists crazy and grant freedom to those of us eschewing fundamentalism.
Mike good points,I’m a situational Pacifist I guess,I don’t think Viet Nam,& the Iraq war was good.The Afganistan special forces Taliban fighting & the hunt for Bin Laden seemed good as well as the quick overthrow of the Taliban .
Bush ended up (I really don’t think he was so evil to do it all for oil) & now Obama in the expensive & never ending task of security enforcement & slow training results of building up a credible Police Force & Military so they can stand on their own.We are doing what Bush said he’d never do >Nation Building. Wow what a bummer & surprise,not if we go back in history. The Romans & Alexander did A good job of inclusionary conquest by letting them add their Gods to the smorgasboard of diversity as well as respecting their cultural traditions but they put their stamps on stuff & the Empire maintenance was both of their eventual downfalls.
In regards to Memorial Day & all the paid holidays I’d always BBQ or do something fun if I could with family & friends,mostly Christians ironically !(that could be another whole subject Mike for you> Do we as Christians have non-Christian or nonbelieving friends >if not >why not?Are we all hanging out in a Christian ghetto?)
Any way two years ago I felt the Holy Spirit impressing on me to meditate & focus on the actual meaning & purpose of all my Paid holidays (As a Mailhandler for the USPS in a Processing & Distribution Center here in the North San Francisco Bay Area>the 2nd or 3rd largest Union in the country, has been good to me.So I went to the local Memorial day thing here in Santa Rosa, to honor the troops & the fallen> specifically.
Needless to say, I was moved to tears surprisingly.People of all political, ethnic, racia,l gender & ages in the Military were there as well as Pearl Harbor veterans & veterans from all the wars >in person to talk to;dressed up in their 65yr old uniforms. To say the least I was humbled to talk to survivors. I was randomly interviewed by the local paper & made the front page of the local section sharing exactly what I just said here. The Memorial Day 1′1/2 hour service was I figure the least I could do & the first thing of that day.
It brought the community together & connections were made between a lot of people.
It is also different when your own youngest Son joins the Navy on his own accord & he is 19 (20 in Aug.) &is stationed in San Diego on the USS NIMITZ Aircraft Carrier & wants to have an action job not sitting in front of a computer in a small cubicle (although he’s very computer & tech savy).So what does he get? He is training in Aviation Ordinance> he & his crew of men & women put together the bombs,missiles & ammo for the fighter Jets.Eventually he gets to go up on the launching deck,now he’s down in the belly of the beast.
Well now I’ve got to pray for his safety & direction & a whole host of issues. He loves God & doesn’t want to do the typical Navy Port thing of chasing girls & getting drunk. He’s a California skater kid & WOW level 70 gaming whiz kid who wants to have fun & continue the Naval legacy in our Family.
My Grandfather was in the Navy when they still had sailing ships lol.He lived to 95 lol. My Uncle was an Admiral & my dad couldn’t get in during WWII because of color blindness so he became an officer in the Army & chased Nazis for Counter Intell! Met my Mom (an alien German enemy )& they married 4 yrs later & I’m the fruit of that destiny.
Mike & all you guys who posted are right on !
I just hope you can see my new perspective. I’m not Republican or Democrat, I proudly admit that after listening & watching many hours & hours of You Tube videos of Ron Paul I realized that the main stream media & Fox News (which I think is pretty balanced usually) have a real hatred or at least a furious disdain & mockery of 3rd party politics,so I thought Ron was a freak & a kook. He was interviewed at Google by a senior VP & had unscreened ,uncontrolled Q&A. Wow he was so intelligent & so witty & tolerant in a good way,so true to his convictions for a Politician! He has probably the best Prolife,Pacifist, Fiscally conservative Libertarian type position that made sense to me. I changed from 20+ yrs of American Indepent Constititionalst Party to Vote for him & then since he wasn’t going to start a 3rd party or go officially Libertarian I changed to Libertarian after agonizing over a few of their positions on Drugs ,Gay Marriage & Abortion. I realized that I had to make the break even risking all my friends accusing me of being the opposite of what they stand for,but not really. Cuz I realize now we can’t legislate all morality & I have to vote my conscience & if we buy into the ‘
‘you’re just throwing you’re vote away & you must vote for the lesser of two evils.’I say look to Dietrich Boenhoffer in his minority Christian resistence to a popular Saviour >Hitler (before anyone dreamed what was in his closet) & the American Revolution where they “rebelled against authority” thereby forever making Romans 13:1-7 debatable or at least situational & nuanced from now on.I went & voted for Bob Barr even though I was more into RP. Sorry for getting on a tangent ;but I think some of these difficult issues are tied into the whole points Mike brought up in the micro-macrocosom of the state/empire constructs we face today.