I approach Memorial Day with a mixture of emotions: gratitude, grief, humility, and a deep longing for the peace that Christ alone can bring.

Memorial Day is a time when our nation pauses to remember those who have died in military service. We acknowledge the real and tragic cost of war, the many lives cut short, the families left grieving, and the wounds, both visible and invisible, that ripple through generations.

For some, this day is personal. A name etched into a monument. A folded flag on the mantle. An empty seat at the table. For others, it is more distant; a day marked only by barbecues or sales and maybe a moment of silence during a parade. But as Christians, we are called to do more than observe. We are called to lament.

We lament the lives lost. We lament the wars that required them. And we lament a world in which violence is still so often seen as a way to resolve conflict.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." — Matthew 5:9

This beatitude stands in tension with the reality of war. As Christians, we hold a vision of a world where swords are beaten into plowshares and where no one resorts to war anymore (Isa 2:4). Memorial Day reminds us not only of what has been lost, but of how far we are from God’s original design, the one He wants for us, yet. 

We honor the fallen today not by glorifying war, but by seeking a world in which such loss is no longer necessary.

This means praying for peace. This means questioning the systems and powers that perpetuate violence. This means caring for veterans, many of whom return home with deep spiritual and emotional scars. This means remembering that our highest allegiance is to the crucified and risen Christ, because it is in Him that perfect peace is found. A Peace that seems so foreign to us that it surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7).

So today, we remember with reverence. We grieve with those who grieve. And we recommit ourselves to the hard work of reconciliation, justice, and mercy.

May this Memorial Day stir in us not only sorrow for the fallen, but a deeper desire for the day when war will be no more.