“Protect Them” – a Memorial Day Meditation

What are your earliest memories of Memorial Day?

Debbie Greene Brown, one of the kids who grew up in the first church I served – now all grown up with kids of her own – once posted on her Facebook page a Memorial Day memory. She wrote that she is “remembering my Dad today – the Memorial Day parade in N. Attleboro was ALWAYS a big day for him…his flag would be hung from the front door and he’d put on his WWII uniform (it stillllll fit! ) and proudly march in the town’s parade.

North Attleboro’s Robert Greene, 83, a World War II veteran who served in the Army Signal Corps, marches in downtown North Attleboro during the towns Memorial Day parade on Saturday. (Staff photo by MARK STOCKWELL)

My Dad marching in that parade is a memory that goes back as far as I can remember…and this is the first year he won’t be in the parade.” Bob had passed away the summer before, but the memory of him marching on Memorial Day still remains.

What are your memories of Memorial Day?

 When I was a little boy, my father used to take me to the Memorial Day parade in our city. My father did not march in the parades, but I could tell from his demeanor that he was somehow a part of that long procession of men and women representing all those who have defended our freedom in every generation. I’m sure he held within his heart memories of those with whom he had served during the Second World War on Okinawa, and Guam and throughout the South Pacific. I’m sure he remembered those who made the ultimate sacrifice and never made it home. At the close of those Memorial Day services, when the honor guard fired their rifles and the bugler blew “Taps”, I could feel my father tense up and his misty eyes seem to be focused on things faraway, in other places and other times. I knew he was remembering.

And so should we.

Unfortunately, Memorial Day today seems to have lost some of its significance. This morning I turned on the television to catch the news and I heard the news anchor say, “The Memorial Day holiday is upon us and New Englanders are gearing up for the unofficial start of the summer season.” The lead story went on to show videos of boats and jet skis out on Lake Winnipesaukee, along with some advice about boat safety. There was a report on gas prices throughout the area, and a human interest piece on someone up in Manchester getting ready for a big cookout.

But there was nothing to speak of about Bob Greene, or my dad, or many of you – and those countless heroes across many generations who gave their lives defending us and protecting our freedom.

Memorial Day has lost some of its significance in our culture, but I hope not with you. I hope not with us. Memorial Day is a crucial part of our identity as a nation and our appreciation for the fact that freedom is not free. And Memorial Day as well connects us in a way with a very important Christian ministry.

In the Bible – in John 17 – Jesus says something very striking. This is a prayer that Jesus prays just before he is arrested, just before he will die. He is praying to his Father for his disciples, and this is what Jesus says:

“While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe…”

And then Jesus continues:

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one.”

Sometimes we Christians think that the life of faith is all about obviously “religious” stuff – prayer, worship, singing, serving on a church committee, keeping the commandments. But here in John 17, Jesus shows us that faith is about much more than being “religious.”

Faith is also about “protecting.”

Jesus protected his disciples while he was with them. And when the time came for him to leave, he prayed that his Father would protect them.

Protecting others.

It is one of the most important things Christians can do.

Many years ago, I received an anonymous phone call. It was a Saturday night and I was putting the final touches on Sunday’s sermon. The gravelly voice on the other end of the line said, “Do you know you have a member of the mob attending your church?”

And then he hung up.

I wish I had the presence of mind to say, “Well, what better place for a member of the mob to be!” But I wasn’t quick enough. And I knew who he was talking about – a young fellow who was in fact connected into a fairly well-known organized crime family. His wife and children had started coming to our church and eventually persuaded David to come. And over time, God got him! God got him good with a grace that won his heart. And David was so appreciative of the grace he was experiencing that he came to me one day and said, “Rev. I like you! And I just want you to know…

…you’re protected!”

Well, it was news to me that I NEEDED protection! But I understood that Davd was giving me what he thought was a gift! I’m not sure being protected by an organized crime family is exactly what Jesus had in mind for the Church, but protecting people IS a gift – and a ministry.

Think of people in this country who became part of the Underground Railroad to protect runaway slaves making their way to freedom. Think of families throughout Europe during World War II who risked their own lives to protect and save Jewish people from the holocaust. Think of people like Bob Greene, and my dad, and all those who throughout history have left their lives behind for a time to go and serve our nation, protecting us and defending our freedom. Think of police officers, and firefighters, and first-responders who work so hard to protect us and keep us safe.

You don’t have to be a Christian to protect others. You can find protectors in every religion, every nation, and every neighborhood. But we who take the name of Christ bear a special responsibility to protect others as Jesus did.

And there are three groups of people the Bible is most concerned about protecting:

Widows, orphans, and aliens.

You may recall that one of the first big fights in the early Church was about whether the community was doing a good enough job taking care of the widows among them. And more than forty times in the Bible, we are commanded to care for orphaned and fatherless children. And the prophets remind us over and over again that our spiritual ancestors – the Hebrews – were nomadic wanderers without a country of their own. And it was only by the generous hospitality of the citizens of other nations that they were able to survive. And so God in the Bible reminds his people that we too must welcome strangers and aliens and offer them hospitality and protection. I know that sounds strange to some politicians today, but it IS what the Bible says – unequivocally.

And to top it all off, God says time and time again that He doesn’t really care very much about the hymns we sing, the prayers we offer, or the sacrifices we make. We make much too much of all that stuff, according to the Bible. What God really cares about is not sacrifice, but the mercy we bring to others. We would all do well to memorize James 1:27 which says:

 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after widows and orphans in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

God knows that there are people all around us who are vulnerable to evil, who are taken advantage of, and who can’t fend for themselves. And Christians are called to protect them.

There was a moving story on the news some time ago about a widow in the greater Knoxville, TN area who was about to lose her house. When her husband died, his business failed, and she couldn’t keep up the payments. She received a notice that her house would be foreclosed on the next Tuesday.

Well, that didn’t happen. The date was postponed for at least a month because members of her church rallied together. They had a big car wash and raised over $3,000. They are doing their best to help her keep her house. And if it turned out that she couldn’t keep it, one of the church members – herself a widow – said she could come and live with her.

There are vulnerable people all around us. Some have lost their jobs in this economic downturn and can’t provide for their families. Some suffer with mental illness and have been left homeless as well as misunderstood and unaccepted. Some struggle with alcohol or drugs and are on a freefall to an uncertain bottom. Some are victims of their own poor choices and some are victims of events beyond their control. There are battered women. Abused children. Disabled men. People others find strange, discriminate against, and make fun of.

And we – you and I – are called to protect those children of God – just as we have been protected and defended by the great heroes we remember on Memorial Day.

So as we hang our flags and have parades and celebrate the true meaning of this holiday, let us also hear the calling to protect others – as a nation, as churches, and as individuals. And let us always honor those who have protected us.

When my late friend Ed Conte was three years old, his father and two brothers were serving in World War II. Three stars hung from the window of their house, and Ed wondered why. Years later, he wrote a Memorial Day poem about it, and I want to share a portion of the poem with you:

Three stars hung in our window
During the Second World War
I was still too young to know
What these stars were for

I oft stared at this window
I couldn’t stop my gaze
I knew these stars were special
Strange feelings they did raise

Then one-day my mom explained
The meaning of the three
I’ll never forget the loving way
She spoke these words to me

The first star is your daddy
He’s sailing on the sea
He had to leave us for a while
To keep our nation free

Brother Bob is the second star
Shrapnel scarred his back
It happened while in Europe
Amidst a plane attack

The third is your brother, Bill
He flies the skies above
His duty is dropping bombs
Safekeeping those he loves

Be proud of these three my son
They had to go and fight
These stars serve our country
To stop our freedom’s flight

In this war for freedom
Some will have to fall
So when you pray for these three stars
Son, pray for warriors all

Praying for all those who protect God’s children, on Memorial Day, let us REMEMBER.