Lost.
You are and I am.
Had you returned what would have been?
Who would we be?
Had you refused your orders,
your deployment,
your honor to country,
What would have been?
Who would you be?
Where would justice cry?
I miss you.
I miss us.
I want both you and freedom.
I prayed for both you and peace.
But if I can’t have both
Then I want what you want;
Then I champion a cause you died for—
I want freedom and pray for peace.
For these you lost your life
Even as you found your way,
Even as you fought for what is right,
Even as you are forever at peace in heaven.
Lost to me.
Found by God.
May your death not be lost
To me,
To our country,
To young men and women dedicating their lives to honored military service,
To others who remember loved ones claimed by war,
To the world.
Let your grave tell your story
Reminding us all,
Honoring your gift,
And thanking God who works everything for the good of those who love him.
Speak, O grave,
Reminding me and the world
Of a soldier who knew that peace is more than a noble idea,
Of a sailor who believed that justice is more than a fair decision,
Of an airman who committed to a cause greater than himself,
Of a marine who did more than dream of a world where good must win.
Speak, O grave,
To my loneliness
To my pain
To my fear
To a village in Africa robbed of human necessities by warlords
To a population in the Middle East cursed for no good reason
To a city in Asia trembling at the possibility of nuclear war
To a people in Europe displaced from their home
To another city victimized by terrorism
To the wrongly persecuted
To those unjustly imprisoned
To families mourning for loved ones killed as innocent civilians and casualties of bloody strife
Speak, O grave,
And help us
To hear
To act
To vote
To respect
To honor
To remember
To support
To care wherever we are
To love while we can.
And Grave of all graves,
Empty tomb of the risen Warrior,
Forsaken and forlorn as the place of death,
Conquered by the Hero from heaven,
Speak, O holy grave of Jesus Christ!
Tell of your resurrected glory
And of new life for all who believe!
Announce your victory:
Death is dead!
Sin’s curse is cursed!
The devil has only lies as his weapon, exposed as faulty by the simplest faith!
Glorify all whose guilt you entomb forever,
Raise to new life all who are baptized,
Awaken those spiritually asleep,
Trumpet to Christians a cause so great that it calls us
To give our lives
Our service
Our loyalty
Our obedience
And fight for spiritual peace
For the kingdom of heaven!
Speak, O graves,
That we may never forget.
PRAYER: Speak, O graves of men and women fallen in war, and the grave of all graves belonging to the risen Warrior Jesus. Tell of victory, of freedom and a new life to live. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: Make a mental list of at least 5 things to be thankful about on this Memorial Day. Meditate on these blessings from God. How can you do more than consume or keep them, but use them to glorify God?