This is Memorial Day weekend. Traditionally this weekend begins the summer season.

I know one thing for certain. Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends are typically low attendance Sundays at FBC Pembroke as many of our members skip town for a time with their families. I’ve been tempted to move our services to Clark Hill Lake because we have more members there than in Bryan County.

This weekend I will probably not go anywhere, though that is subject to change. I will do some yard work, possibly go to the river to fish, and likely hit a golf ball at some point along the way.

And I will also realize that it is only one week before our church begins vacation Bible school, the largest annual outreach that we do each year.

And if I am not careful, I will do the very thing that the title of Memorial Day tells me not to do. I will forget.

Memorial Day was originally known as Decorations Day and came to be following the Civil War. But today it is a time when we remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we share and enjoy in this country.

War is not a good thing. Anyone who has participated would be quick to agree with that statement. But there have been times in history when war has been necessary to preserve the freedoms that we hold dear. And because of these times there are those who have paid the ultimate price, giving their lives for us.

On Memorial Day I am thankful for those folks and for their families. I can only imagine the heartbreak they have endured. It is important that we remember what has been done for us.

And I must remind you that, in some ways, every Sunday is a Memorial Day for the follower of Jesus. Each Sunday we gather to worship the Lord who gave his life and was raised on a Sunday morning some 2,000 years ago.

He, too, gave his life in our place. How grateful I am for his sacrifice, and even more that he is alive today.

Have a good Memorial Day. But as you cook out, go swimming, or enjoy a day off of work, remember. Remember those who gave their lives for you. Especially remember the one who gave his life so that you might live forever.