Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Memorial Day weekend is upon us, and I hope you take some time to reflect upon the meaning of this holiday. Unlike our upcoming 250th Independence Day, Memorial Day is designed to be more reflective than celebratory in its nature. It is a special weekend where we remind ourselves that freedom is not free, and blood has been spilled on our behalf.
Jesus understood the topic of sacrifice better than anyone else. After uttering those words, he would soon offer himself as a once and for all sacrifice to atone for the sins of the world. His blood was spilled to purchase our freedom from sin and death. Our savior understood sacrifice is the ultimate expression of love. May we each remember the loving sacrifice that was paid for by Jesus. But may we also remember the loving sacrifice that was paid for by our military heroes.
Fifteen service men and women have laid down their lives this year alone in our armed services. Let’s pause and pray for these surviving families and continue to pray for the men and women who are deployed all around the world to protect liberty. I hope you enjoy the three-day weekend and the unofficial start to summer, but I hope you also give thanks to God for the freedom we enjoy every day as believers in the United States of America.
If you are traveling this weekend, I wish you safe travels. But if you are here this Sunday, I’ll look forward to wrapping up our Pathways series with you at 8:45am or 11:15am this weekend.
Onward and Upward,
Dr. Jonathan Spencer
www.jonathanspencer.org 