Memorial Day weekend signifies a lot of things to a lot of people. The end of a school year. High School Graduations. The beginning of Summer. A trip to the lake. Family get-togethers. An extra day off where you do anything but rest. A lot of folks don’t remember the real reason for this holiday, which is ironic. Memorial Day was established to be a day of remembering. It is for keeping alive the memory of those who gave their lives in defense of the freedoms we enjoy in this country.

About thirty years ago, Cal Thomas wrote an article just before Memorial Day in which he quoted other articles. One article he quoted from U.S. News and World Report (April 1995):

“Even for secular intellectuals, the Holocaust supplied the most powerful brief yet for the existence of original sin. Two centuries earlier, thinkers were asserting the perfectibility of man. Now, they were debating whether Germans were human. The answer, tragically, was yes.”

The overall thrust of his article was that Memorial Day is a good time to remember what we fought against. He also supports the belief that the evils of this world find their solution not in man, but in God.

Memorial Day weekend finds me grateful for those who have given their all so that I might live free in this nation. It also reminds of the Memorial Meal that God has given to His Church, which reminds me of Jesus giving His all so that I might live forever. The quote I shared above brings this into sharper focus for me. That quote spoke of original sin, asserting that mankind has the inclination to NOT do what is right. Many people still don’t want to admit that about themselves or their children. But the evidence is overwhelming. In fact, things seem to be getting worse as time goes on rather than getting better. Man’s capacity for evil reminds us that we need help.

It is something Spiritual, something from outside of us, that saves our flesh. God saw our problem and did something about it. On this Memorial Day weekend, remember what God has done. He sent His Son to be the Prince of Peace. Jesus told you that He came to bring a peace which the world cannot give. You need to  remember what He did. He was your substitute, he died so that you might enjoy the freedom we now have to live as a forgiven child of God.

In order to help you remember, Jesus established a Memorial Meal, Holy Communion. Paul spoke of this to the church in Corinth:

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (NIV)

You do this to remember Him and what He has done. It is an everlasting memorial that is to continue in the fellowship of believers until our Lord returns on the Last Day. By sharing in this meal of remembrance, you proclaim to all who see you that the death of Jesus was to pay for sin.

But wait…there’s more. On the basis of Scripture, we understand this meal to be more than just sentiment and memory. It is participation. In fact, the root meaning of the word communion in the Bible is “fellowship, participation, and sharing.” When you receive this memorial meal and hear those words “Take and eat, the Body of Christ given for you” and “Take and Drink, the Blood of Christ poured out for you,” you receive exactly what those words promise. You share in the death Jesus died to pay for sin, making it your payment for sin. You receive in this Memorial meal His Body and Blood to assure you that no matter what you have done, it was covered by His payment for sin. Faith in Him as Savior and repentance allows you to receive this meal with the guarantee of forgiveness.

Memorial Day weekend is a great time to remember and celebrate. It is also a good time to remember and celebrate Communion, our memorial meal. Remember that Christ’s death was for you, so that you might have forgiveness and life.