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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 7, NUMBER 23, JUNE 10, 2007 MEMORIAL DAY One of the national holidays for the United States of America is known as Memorial Day. While viewed as the traditional start of the Summer Season, it is actually much more serious and significant than that. It is a day set aside to remember and commemorate those men and women who have given their lives in the military service of our country. Our nation celebrated this day of remembrance just two weeks ago. A memorial is simply something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc. The Bible speaks of many of them. For example, in Joshua 4, after the children of Israel had crossed on dry ground through the flooded Jordan River, we find in verses 1-8, “And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, and command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: and Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? They ye shall answer them, That the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.” Thus the event that took place at the beginning of the Conquest of Canaan was commemorated. Just as is the case in the United States, the Bible speaks of certain days being set apart as memorials for particular events. For instance, the Passover was established as a memorial. While we won’t take the time to examine the entire passage where the institution of the Passover is explained in Exodus 12, we will notice verses 13-14: “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.” The greatest memorial ever established was instituted by the Lord Jesus on the very night in which He was betrayed. At the Last Supper, with the horror of the cross literally just hours away, Jesus called upon His followers to remember the events that were about to take place. In Matthew 26:26-29 we find, “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, unto that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” As Paul was describing the institution of this incredible memorial in 1 Corinthians 11, we find the additional words of Jesus, “this do in remembrance of me,” in verse 24; “This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me,” in verse 25; and “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till He come,” in verse 26. Faithful children of God observe this memorial every first day of the week, Sunday, just as the early church did (Acts 20:7). Memorial Day commemorates those who fought in wars for our country and gave their lives in so doing. Jesus gave His life in battle against the most dangerous and insidious foe of all time, Satan and the evil he promotes. It was a battle that began with Adam and Eve, and from that time forth the ultimate conclusion was inevitable. In Genesis 3:14-15 we read, “And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life; and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” When Jesus died on the cross, the death of this sinless, perfect man was the bruising of his heel. But three days later, the crushing blow to the head was delivered when Jesus rose from the dead. Because of that glorious resurrection, we will rise too. So, with humility and great gratitude, let us remember that every first day of the week is a “memorial day,” as we participate in the greatest and most significant memorial known to man - the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Greg Litmer RADIO PROGRAM
Please remember our radio program that airs every Sunday morning on WDJO, 1160 on the AM dial. It has been airing a little over a month now and so far we have had one request for a correspondence course as a result. Tell your friends about it and let’s see if we cannot help to increase the listening audience at that time.
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