05/25/2026
Peace to You on this Memorial Day!
I remember visiting one of our long-time members -- Eva Alford -- one year just before Memorial Day. She was so happy to see me -- she said, "God must have told you to come see me!" I soon found out why she said that. She explained that she had been feeling sad. She was sad because she was remembering all the young people she knew who went away to serve in World War II from 1941-1945 (it actually started in 1939). After all these years -- over 7 decades -- Eva still felt the loss of those lives. She still felt the cost of serving and sacrificing for something that matters.
We sometimes hear such willingness to serve and sacrifice belittled. Especially in our self-centered age, many believe you only take care of self, your interests, your four and no more. But that is not the path to peace or justice or freedom or safety. We must ALL be willing to discipline ourselves and sacrifice for things greater than ourselves -- for good, for human dignity, for justice and freedom. Life is about more than just making a living, getting a buck, having a career. Americans and Chrisitians live under a CALL — a call to live for the good of our neighbors and the world God loves and, after all, for which Christ died.
The Bible says, "To Whom much is given, much is required" (Luke 12:48). We have been given so much as Americans and even more as Christians. We are -- despite inflation -- RICH by comparison to much of the world. There is much we could do without and live quite comfortably.
I remember hearing my Grandmother Bowers talk about being able to buy 25 pounds of flour (I believe) for about 10 cents during the 1930s. But she said the problem was nobody had 10 cents. Many have lived through rationing of food and other basic necessities for the cause of winning the battle against evil in our world and even in our own country.
So, let's remember the willingness to sacrifice and serve of those who didn't CHOOSE war or even necessarily want to FIGHT. Let's honor them. More than that, let's learn from them that anything worth having, worth achieving, worthy keeping amid the new rise of authoritarian ways in our world today requires service and sacrifice.
May the lives of those who came before us and those who were willing to serve their country and, indeed, the world and its good inspire us to new heights of virtue, self-discipline, service, and, yes, sacrifice.
After all, we serve a Savior and Lord who came NOT to be served, but to SERVE and give his life a ransom for ALL.
Pastor Bowers
Memorial Day 2026
