Rev. Dr. Devin Strong

Spirit of Peace Lutheran Church

Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner, and honestly, I tried to think about how I could write an article about anything but this upcoming holiday, not because I don’t care about those who gave their lives in military service but because I feel unworthy to write about them. I have not served in the military; my dad did not serve, neither did either of my grandfathers. I did have an uncle who served in the army, but only briefly.

Then I realized that I am hardly alone. As of 2022, only six percent of Americans have served in any of our armed forces. That leaves 94% of us to stand in awe of their service and sacrifice! Of course, military service tends to run in families and communities. I have been fortunate to serve two congregations with a military base nearby, so I have been privileged to know a number of soldiers and their families, but the pain of military service has yet to touch my own family.

It is important for us to honor all those families who know about this sacrifice personally. Just over 58,000 American Service personnel were killed in the Vietnam War, another 4,400 were killed in the war in Iraq, and nearly 2,500 US soldiers lost their lives in the war in Afghanistan. For each soldier who paid the ultimate sacrifice, there is a countless number of spouses, children, parents, and friends who grieve for them. As the rest of us enjoy a day off work and put some burgers on the grill to mark the unofficial beginning of summer, the least we can do is say a prayer for those who are gone and those who still miss them.

From a Christian perspective, the observance of Memorial Day brings up two thoughts for me. The first is that soldiers understand, probably better than most of us, the kind of sacrificial life to which Jesus calls every one of us. Truthfully, most of us live such blessed lives in this country that we (myself included!) have turned in on ourselves—we think mostly about our rights, our wants, and our puny problems. The vast majority of us depend on a tiny percentage of our brothers and sisters to protect us from the manmade evil in this world. Jesus said, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

(John 15:13) You and I could learn a lot from our military friends about what it is to focus our lives outward and live for something, and someone, beyond ourselves.

My second thought is that the celebration of Memorial Day itself demonstrates your utter failure and mine to live out Jesus’ teachings for us Christians. We see it splashed over the news daily that we mortals hardly know how to resolve a single disagreement with one another without horrific violence.

Of course, the conflicts in Ukraine/Russia and Palestine/ Israel are obvious examples right now, but closer to home, there are sinful incidents of exploding community meetings, road range, and domestic abuse. So many dead soldiers that we must have a national holiday is evidence of our terrible brokenness.

I write today for all the people like me who enjoy the fruits of the sacrifices of our fallen soldiers. Let’s remember their lives, pray for their families, and work so that there will be many fewer of them next year.