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Monday is Memorial Day, a national observance day to honor those who have given their lives in service to our country to ensure our freedoms, the freedoms we enjoy today. It is a day to be taken to remember... to remember the sacrifice of those we knew and for all those whom we did not know who were willing to die for us, to protect us, and to give us what they gave up – lives lived in freedom.  

Memorial Day for many is a day off from work. At 3:00pm, the people of the United States of America are encouraged to stop and take a minute of silence and reflection. On that day, many will go to cemeteries, especially military cemeteries including Arlington, the site of our national cemetery. There many will place flowers near gravestones, memorial markers for those who have fallen. These stones are permanent reminders for all us. They speak without words.  

This idea of memorial stones is as ancient as the Bible and beyond. Abraham built altars of stone to remember God’s faithfulness. They helped him move forward in faith by looking back. Jacob set up a single stone that he had used as a pillow to remind him of his encounter with God in a dream and the promises he received. It was a dream that would define the rest of his life. Joshua built a memorial with 12 stones at Gilgal after God had brought the Israelites safely through the swollen Jordan River. The stones were proof that God was with them, something they didn’t want to ever forget. Samuel had a large stone set up to remind the people of God’s deliverance through a major victory. He called the stone, “Ebeneezer” - “stone of hope” to remind them that when help was needed, God would be there.  

Memorial Day has a lot to teach us about remembering the sacrifices of others.  

Jesus died on a stone called “the skull.” We know it as Calvary. Rather than using a stone to remember, we use a cross. The cross is a reminder of Jesus’ death for us. When we see a cross, we are to remember Jesus. Many gravestones have a cross on them, a reminder that He gave His life so we could live lives in freedom, freedom from sin, guilt and shame. It is a freedom over death. His death brings us life. That is why it is right and good to have crosses on graves. Jesus’s death brings us life.  

On Monday, actually on every day, let us honor with our lives those who have given their lives for us. It is only fitting and proper. And may we give our life in sacrifice to the One who has truly set us free, the Savior who is Christ the Lord, the One who died on a cross planted on a stone called Calvary.