Remember The One Who Died . . . And Arose Again

Memorial Day is looming on the horizon. It's a time to remember those who have given their lives in battle for our nation's freedom. Family members pay tribute to loved ones who have lost their lives in the various wars our nation has fought. Those of us who have not lost any loved ones in battle, remember those who have lost their lives and pay tribute to them. All across our nation, people will pause on Memorial Day to remember those whose blood was spilled to purchase our freedom as a nation. It is a moving sight to see our nation praying and joining together to honor those who paid the ultimate price to give us the opportunity to thrive as a nation.

While Memorial Day is a very special holiday and thousands of people cherish the opportunity to remember their loved ones, there is a memorial that is of even greater significance. As Christians, we can never forget the blood that was shed for us at Calvary to purchase our freedom. This was not merely a freedom of speech, or freedom to pursue happiness, or other temporal freedoms. The freedom that Jesus Chrsit purchased for us is the freedom from our sins. Over 2,000 years ago, the Greatest Warrior the world has ever known journeyed from heaven to earth to offer His life upon the Cross as the penalty for our sins. He fought a battle we could not win, and won for us a victory we cannot lose. This holiday weekend, do not fail to remember the One who died upon the Cross to purchase our freedom from sin, hell, and the grave; and then arose victoriously to give us life.

Jesus provided us with a way to remember His sacrifice. On the night he was betrayed, he gathered with the disciples in the Upper Room and he took the bread and the wine and shared them with them. He used these elements to represent his body that would be broken on the cross and his blood that would be shed. He told us that as often as we eat this bread and drink this cup to do so in remembrance of him. May we never forget the price that was paid, the blood that was shed, and the life that was given.