It’s Memorial Day, and some of you have come to look forward to remarks by our former pastor John Ed Mathison. Why try to reinvent the wheel?

I have a friend, well into his 80s, who will have done what this soldier is doing – putting flags at the graves of veterans.

Now, on to John Ed…

We can casually sit back and enjoy backyard barbecues, boat rides, and beach bashes, but the meaning of Memorial Day is that almost 1.5 million men and women have died so that you and I might enjoy our freedoms. We look to Thanksgiving as a day when we pause to give thanks for the things that we have. Memorial Day is a day when we pause to give thanks to the people who fought and died for the things we have. – Dr. John Ed Mathison, May 25, 2022

And let’s add a paragraph from Elliot Eisenberg, the “Bow-tie Economist” who writes a daily 70-word blog:

While Memorial Day is now all about cookouts and travel, it’s the national holiday honoring military personnel who died defending our freedom; Veterans Day honors all who’ve served. Memorial Day was first recognized as “Decoration Day” in 1868, shortly after the Civil War. In 1971, it was formally made the last Monday in May. Spend at least a moment giving thanks to those who gave their lives. – Elliot Eisenberg, May 22, 2026

…and Jesus:

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (John 15.13, ESV)