MEMORIAL DAY HOMILY
May 25, 2003
By Bill Exner
In the name of the Savior, who gave himself for us, whose will for us is joy complete, who calls
us friend and beloved. Amen.
It is Memorial Day Weekend, for me a very meaningful, special time every year. I
have vivid memories of Memorial Day as an 8-10 year old cub scout, standing at
attention yearly, with my fellow cubs of the den, next to the Veterans Memorial Stone
in the rural village cemetery where I grew up in upstate New York. Listening each
year to local leaders and ministers reminding us of the supreme sacrifice made for our
freedom and protection by those who served in the Armed Forces, I realized that they
did this – they offered themselves for a reason – so that the rest of us could have the
chance to build a more peaceful world and to help our nation progress and grow into
the promise of our founding principles better than ever before. The lilacs were always
out in New York on Memorial Day, and the cherry blossoms too in the orchard across
the street from the cemetery. Likewise, like clockwork every year as soon as the
speeches and prayers were finished came the deafening, gut wrenching firing of the
color guards’ rifles as a tribute and salute to the fallen, mixing the spring floral
fragrance with the smell of gun powder, and causing us cub scouts to always break
rank and scramble for the shell casings which clinked as they jumped from the
weapons and scattered among the gravestones with the flags in front of us. Now I was
a pretty quick cub scout in those days. I always came up with one of those empty shell
casings. And I’d put it in my pocket, and I’d carry it with me throughout Memorial
Day Weekend every year almost ritualistically. And in the quiet moments as a boy I’d
take it out of my pocket to inspect it, to think about it, and to hold it respectfully.
Respectful of the power of life or death in represented. Respectful of those who gave
themselves in service for others. Echoes of St. John’s gospel, “No one has greater
love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15) And, as one of St.
Matthew’s 8th graders recently wrote in an essay about the unknown soldier, “All we
know is that they fell not just defending a country, or a land -> but their families,
friends, neighbors and even strangers they did not know.” Indeed Memorial Day is a
special, meaningful time.
And this much I learned as a boy and to this day still feel is true, that the sacrifices for
the greater good which were made by those who fell deserve our respect and the best
way to truly honor that kind of sacrifice is for each of us to become part of the greater
good they died for, in our day. They went to war and stood guard to reduce the
prospect of war in the future, therefore we are not here to be confrontational,
exploitative, or mean spirited or untrustworthy as individuals or as a nation. No we
are here to do our best to lead lives worthy and to build a nation worthy of presenting a
shining example of fairness, cooperation and excellence and compassion. I sensed this
even as a boy and I carried that with me every Memorial Day Weekend. Again,
quoting our 8th grader Andy Yost, “I think we must all stop and reflect upon our fallen
and unnamed heroes, and ask ourselves if we really want more.” Now I can’t speak
for you, but I’ve never met a veteran who said they were willing to die for Enron,
Exxon, or Haliburton or a political party, but I know many who would stand up for you,
your neighbor and your children and for equality and freedom for all. I can think of no
greater honor for them, and for those who witness for peace in other ways than to work
and pray for the realization of the great day when no more will be lost, when war is
obsolete, when God’s better way of abiding love and reaching out across national
boundaries, religious and political barriers to help, heal and clothe our neighbors as the
earliest Christians did becomes the way for all people and nations.
When will this better way happen? Well, in many small and brave and faithful ways it
has been building for a long time. Ever since the 1st people ever called
-Christ-ians- took up the collection in the Book of Acts to help feed the victims of
drought in Judea in the name of Christ who gave himself for us, to every single time
you take good care of your life and respond to others through Christian love you are
helping to tip the scale toward God’s victory too. As Jesus said in the Gospel today,
“You did not choose me, I choose you – Christ picks you, not someone else, you now
and today to honor life and hope – to be an agent of love and grace. Hey, whether
you’re rich or broke, young or old, cub scout or brownie, hawk or a dove, God chooses
you – it’s your turn now to serve in the ways God calls you to live out the command to
love, and in doing so, to know that your joy and the fullness of life and the health of
creation may one day be complete because of it.
Yes, it is Memorial Day Weekend – The lilacs are out in New Hampshire too. I traded
in my cub scout hat for a clergy collar a long time ago, but my respect for the ideals for
which we stand stills holds true.
May those who have given so much and lost so much, and gained so much – along with the
lucky ones like me whose brother returned home from the Middle East two days ago and like
our own Ducharme family right here, whose favorite son Steve returned home from Kosovo on
Thursday - May we remember and reflect and look ahead to that great day which God intends
for all. May God guide us to the fulfillment of the principles of liberty, dignity, peace and justice
for all for which we strive. May the Holy Spirit inspire in each of us a spark of self giving
courage to become instruments of loving kindness, vision and peace for which others have
already sacrificed so much. Indeed, God be our help and our shield.
In the name of Jesus Christ the loving one who gave himself for us – the Savior of
souls who calls you friend and beloved. Amen.