MEMORIAL DAY

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  John 15:13

Every year our church has a special service the third Sunday of May that recognizes those who have served in the military. The ceremony begins with the flag of each branch of service being carried in to the music of that particular branch. As the flag moves to the front of the sanctuary those who served our country in that area stand and follow the flag to the front of the sanctuary. By the time all the branches of the service have been recognized the entire front of the sanctuary is lined with men and women. Each one is then given an opportunity to introduce themselves telling their name, rank, branch of service, and the years served. Many went on to tell where they served, whether state side or abroad. This was a very moving time as we recognized the sacrifice that they have made for our freedom. Several times during the ceremony they received a standing ovation.

 

 

Memorial Day is coming up next Monday and there will be many parades and ceremonies at cemeteries throughout the United States. In Adrian they always have a solemn remembrance at Memorial Park. We always attend this event to pay respect to those who have given their lives for our country.

Recently, Gail was reminded that we not only need to love but we need to love extravagantly. Christ is our prime example of this extravagant love. We should be watching for opportunities to demonstrate this love to those at home and abroad.  In the book, Once Upon a Town, it tells of the people of North Platte, Nebraska. This town is located on the rail way that connects the east and west coast. During the Second World War many of our troops were transported by rail and ended up going through North Platte. At that time all the trains had to stop for water so the people of that town decided to give nourishment to the troops. They gave sandwiches, cookies, cakes, pies, and beverage while the train was stopped. They did this for every train that came through from the beginning of the war until several months after the war was over. The book accounted of the sacrifice that was made by the people of this community and surrounding area. The author tells of volunteers from Kearney, Nebraska had driven a truck over with 480 candy bars, magazines, ten crates of oranges, 80 cases of soft drinks, 400 loaves of bread, three hundred pounds of meat, 3000 hard-boiled eggs, and 75 sheet cakes. This was their way of making our troops feel loved and a little bit of home. What can we do in 2014?

Blessings and Encouragement,

Paul, Gail, Patsy, and Penny