Remembering

Many years ago, President Franklin Roosevelt gave a speech at the Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater titled: “I Hate War.” Certainly, that expresses the sentiments of most Americans. However, throughout history, our nation has been called to defend our democracy and against the threat of our peaceful existence. As citizens of the United States of America, you and I are protected by the brave men and women who serve in our armed forces. On the upcoming Memorial Day, we salute those who, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, “gave the last full measure of devotion” for our safety, for our freedom, and for our very lives.

As we approach Memorial Day, it is appropriate for us to consider how we observe this sacred holiday. For those who take time to give this holiday serious thought, it evokes a variety of emotions.

It would be a sacrilege to omit sadness from a description of what we feel on this holiday. We mourn the loss of family members and those we knew intimately or more casually as friends or acquaintances. We lament that countless numbers of lives were cut short. And we join together as Americans, and as believers, to uphold our shared values and to honor their memory.

But there is much more to our memories than our sadness as we decorate graves and grieve these losses. We are grateful to those who gave their lives that you and I and all Americans could be protected from violence and destruction and enjoy freedoms. For many their service and loss of life were acts of love, as described in the scripture above.

It is not enough to be grateful. With these benefits go responsibilities – responsibilities as citizens of a nation whose ideals are worth our committed efforts. The sacrifices of those lost in battle should inspire us to assume with enthusiasm the responsibilities of citizenship. Just as those for whom we grieve gave their lives to protect our nation from the threats of violence, we cannot let selfishness, greed, apathy, sloth, or any other internal threats diminish what military personnel gave their lives to preserve. We owe them and ourselves our best efforts to protect and achieve the ideals for which they fought.

Although Memorial Day officially honors those who lost their lives in service to their country, we should also remember those veterans whose physical and mental injuries greatly diminished the quality of their lives. Accordingly, we should assure that our government provides these veterans with support commensurate with their sacrifices.

These obligations are tangible and best addressed in practical ways. Each of us should be politically active, at least to the extent of voting and letting our voices be heard by those who represent us and govern us. The ideals for which so many have fought and died must be preserved.

We can also join the less thoughtful in celebrating. We do not just celebrate the day off from work and the opportunity to socialize with our neighbors. We celebrate what those we honor today achieved that permits us to live with the freedoms we have and the justice to which we aspire.

On this occasion, with humility and gratitude, we ask that God Bless America.

Rev. John Jackson is an Air Force veteran and the pastor of Camp Street United Methodist Church in Jamestown. He was called to pastoral ministry in 2011, after retiring from a previous career and moving into this area in 2006. Pastor John’s church involvement includes presidency of the Conference trustees, chair of the district lay speaker committee, and member of the District Superintendent committee in addition to local church responsibilities. John served as a lay speaker for many years, and after retirement became a licensed local pastor, pastoring North Harmony UMC for six years and serving as associate pastor at Hurlbut UMC for several years thereafter.