Good morning: If you visit the War Memorial in downtown Milwaukee this week, you’ll see the Field of Flags, 27,316 tiny US flags placed in honor of Wisconsinites who sacrificed their lives in service to the nation from the Civil War to the present. It took countless hours and an entire team of volunteers to place the flags, but they serve a valuable purpose in reminding everyone who drives by of what Memorial Day is really all about. To truly appreciate the blessings we have in our country, we need to remember the cost of our freedoms, and we want to honor those who paid for it with their lives. To forget is to risk losing what others have won for us. Yet, how often do we think of it, even on Memorial Day? “Remembering” is even more important when it comes to our spiritual blessings and eternal future. Solomon writes, “Remember your creator in the days of your youth” (Eccl. 12:1). The psalmist says, “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago” (Ps. 77:11). Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Altar and said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Throughout Scripture the Holy Spirit continually reminds us of the wonderful freedom from guilt and fear which we have as children of God. It came at the greatest cost, but one not paid by any of us. It was not an army of 27,000 which won the battle. It was not an army at all, but the Son of God who humbled himself even to the point of dying on the cross. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21). To forget the Father’s love in sending his Son to be our brother is to lose our place in his family. To forget our sin and our complete inability to do anything about it is to lose everything Jesus died to give us. May we see every day as a day for remembering our blessings and honoring those who fought and sacrificed their lives in our behalf. Above all, this weekend let’s praise the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for fighting the war we had already lost, for winning the victory we never could, and for giving us the eyes of faith to see Jesus as Lord and Savior. Yours in Christ, Pastor Our service tomorrow begins at 9 a.m., followed by Sunday school and Bible class at 10:15 a.m. Both the children and adult choir will be singing in the service.
