05/24/2026
250 years ago, a declaration was made, freeing the original 13 colonies from the rule of Great Britain and declaring them to be free and independent states.
Even before those now famous words were penned, the first casualties of the war for independence fell. They would be the first, but certainly not the last.
In the 250 years since, many battles, fought at both home and abroad, have taken many more lives in the defense of freedom.
We gather today, not merely to mark a holiday, but to remember.We remember the quiet rows of white crosses that stretch across Arlington, Normandy, and many other fields of battle where our nation’s heroes rest.
We remember the young faces that will never grow old, the laughter silenced, the dreams set aside so that ours might live.
These men and women, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, they did not die for abstract ideas. They died for something concrete and precious: the freedom of this nation.
They stood in the gap when tyrants rose. They charged into enemy fire so that the stars and stripes might wave over a land where liberty is not a slogan, but a birthright.
The freedom we enjoy: the right to speak, to worship, to raise our children in peace, and to pursue happiness without fear was purchased at a terrible price.
It was bought by the lives of thousands.
Thousands of lives willingly given. Thousands of families left with empty chairs at the table. Thousands of mothers and fathers, who instead of their children received a folded flag, a poignant but heartbreaking reminder of their devastating loss.
We owe them a debt, we can never repay so the very least we can do is remember. The least we can do is live lives worthy of their sacrifice.
And yet as we honor those thousands, our hearts are drawn to an even greater sacrifice — one that makes every human offering pale in comparison.
Shortly after the dawn of Creation, another declaration was made, one that separated God and human ever since.
But two thousand years ago on a hill outside Jerusalem, one Man hung on a cross between two thieves.
He was not a soldier by earthly standards. He carried no rifle wore no uniform commanded no army. He was the Son of God, the King of kings.
In that single brutal act of love Jesus Christ purchased a freedom far more profound… than any nation can grant.
He paid for the freedom of the soul. He paid for the freedom of the Church, His bride, His people across every age and nation .
Where our fallen heroes bought liberty for a country with their blood, Jesus Christ bought eternal liberty for all who believe with His own.
The freedom of a nation was bought by thousands.
The freedom of the Church was bought by One, the very Son of God.
One crown of thorns. One set of nails. One pierced side. One final cry… “It is finished.”
Because of that One sacrifice, death no longer has the last word. Sin no longer holds us captive. The grave has been robbed of its victory.
The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the power that turns our sorrow into hope.
So on this Memorial Day weekend, let us hold both truths together.
Let us salute the brave who died for our land, and let us fall on our knees before the One who died for our souls.
Let us teach our children that freedom is never free whether the freedom we cherish as Americans or the freedom the Christ provides.
And let us live each day, mindful of the words of the Battle Hymn of the Republic: “As He died to make men holy let us live to make men free.”
To anyone here today who may carry the ache of loss, know this: your pain is not forgotten by God, and the sacrifice of those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom, is not forgotten by a grateful nation.
And to every soul listening, the same Jesus who conquered the grave, stands ready to comfort you, to save you, and to give you a freedom, no government can impart and no enemy can ever take away.
May God bless the memory of our fallen. May God bless the United States of America.
And may the name of Jesus Christ, the One who bought our ultimate freedom, be praised forever.
Amen.
