We are celebrating Memorial Day today. I hope that all of you are having a relaxing day and at the same time remembering the sacrifice that many brave men and women have made for us by serving in the armed forces.
Reflecting on the meaning of sacrifice, I traveled to Webster's Dictionary and discovered that the word sacrifice comes from the Latin word, sacrificium and its root words mean to make. Sacrifice is action which is creative. When I think of sacrifice, I often think of death. However, sacrifice, at its heart is a core activity of the creative process.
Notice how the month of May could be called the month of honoring sacrifice. Earlier we celebrated Mother's Day and what else is at the heart of mothering than sacrifice; the giving of oneself, 24/7, for the survival, growth, and promise of your child(ren).
Today, on Memorial Day, we memorialize the sacrificial service of the men and woman who stand for freedom and give their lives for their fellow countrymen and women. We have developed creatively as a free people through their sacrifice.
In the final weeks of May, youngsters graduate from high school and college and celebrate the milestone which was paved by the sacrificial efforts of parents, teachers, and themselves.
At the heart of creation and the creative process, we are who we are through sacrifice.
As we honor sacrifice today, this month and throughout the days to come, enter into the depth of God's sacrificial love for us. Read Romans 5.
I leave you with these words from the Apostle Paul:
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. -Romans 5: 7-8
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, thank you for the saving grace of sacrifice. May the sacrificial love and devotion that we share in tending to our nation, our families, and others be a reflection of the love of Christ, who gave his life so that we could have life eternal. Amen.
