Is Memorial Day Biblical?

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[Watch the Memorial Day video below.]

Our country’s observance of a national Memorial Day began on May 30, 1868. It was then called Decoration Day, and volunteers decorated the graves of more than 20,000 Confederate and Union soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The tradition of placing flags on the graves of soldiers continues to this day.

Decoration Day was renamed Memorial Day during WWII and proclaimed to be a day to honor all Americans who died in military service. In 1971, Memorial Day became a national holiday by congressional order.

Is Memorial Day in the Bible?

Of course, the actual set-apart day that we call Memorial Day is not found in the Bible. However, the concept of it, and many days of remembrance, are ordained by God. In Scripture, we find many set-apart days, beginning with a day of rest called the Sabbath (Ex 20:8), including all the feast days ordained in Leviticus, and especially our Lord’s command to remember His death, burial, and resurrection. Therefore, memorial days are certainly a biblical mandate. In addition, the Bible teaches that every day is meant to be a day of remembering our God and all He has done for us.

Psa 118:24 This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Remember the Past

Remembering past events and places, those who have gone before us in the faith, and, most importantly, our God and His will and ways are important for living our daily lives.

On Memorial Day, we remember those who have served our country, but we should also remember and give thanks daily to all who have served us personally. As Christians, we are called to a lifestyle of giving and receiving, of serving and being served — and it starts with remembering what God has done for us. God sacrificially sent His Son to an undeserving world to live and die for us so we could be made worthy to receive His gift of eternal life.

Rightly Remember to Direct the Future

It’s not just about remembering the past. It must be about rightly remembering the past. What does that mean? It means remembering with a mind renewed by God’s Word, a heart devoted to God, and a soul directed by the Holy Spirit.

In 2012, I published a book about remembering titled Why the Butterfly? A Book About Remembering.

So, what’s the answer to “Why the butterfly?” I used the butterfly as a symbol of rightly remembering because a butterfly represents regeneration from death to life. A butterfly’s lifecycle illustrates transformation, starting as a lowly, earthbound worm and then becoming a beautiful butterfly with “wings to fly” in the newness of a transformed life.

So, why is the book about remembering? Because forgetting always precedes falling. Even as Christians, with the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence, we are prone to forget what God has done for us and what He continues to do in and through us. And sadly, when we forget, we are prone to wandering away from God and living more in the world’s ways.

Remembering influences our thoughts, and our lives move in the direction of our most dominant thoughts. Therefore, we must choose to remember rightly. We all know people who remember that which they should forget and forget that which they should remember. Rightly remembering is just the opposite. It is taking captive past memories in a way that will grow us, strengthen us, and conform us to the image of Jesus.

God Calls His People to Remember

We are Called to Remember Days

Exo 13:3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt…
Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Est 9:28 ..these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation…

We are Called to Remember Circumstances

Deu 7:18 …remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;
Deu 8:2 ..remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness…
Deu 15:15 remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee…
Deu 32:7 Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations…

Most Importantly, We are Called to Remember God and His Words, His Will, and His Ways

Deu 8:18 …remember the LORD thy God…
Eccl 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth…
Num 15:39 …remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them…
John 15:20 Remember the word that I [Jesus] said unto you,
Jude 1:17 …remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
1 Th 1:2-3 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;

Honoring Those Who Served Our Country

Watch our most popular video. With millions of watches on YouTube and thousands of comments, this video has touched people’s hearts worldwide, causing them to remember those who gave their all so we can be free. And when we remember their sacrifices, we can’t help but remember the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Share the YouTube video with someone who needs to remember sacrificial love on Memorial Day.

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