In Memoriam

by Joshua Bland

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of visiting the World War II memorial in Washington DC. While there were other things going on during my time in the capital, this was the one stop to which I was most looking forward. Because of delays, it was removed from the itinerary of the group with which I was travelling; thankfully, on the last day I had some time on my own to make the trip to honor all of the soldiers of this era in general and one in particular.

My Papa fought in the Pacific campaign. He returned home to the States and worked hard to make a life for his family. He lived on the same street his entire life; and for the majority of my life, I lived right across the road from him. I can not begin to estimate how many times my sister and I would visit him after school or have lunch with him on weekends, holidays, and during summer break. While I am unable to count the number of times we talked as he sat in his recliner and smoked his pipe, I can remember the conversations and the impact he made on my life.

Several months ago, we laid my Papa to rest just a few miles from home. He received full military honors. It was an incredible honor to serve as one of his pallbearers and to participate in the ceremony. At the time, I already had my DC excursion on the calendar; that very day, the summer trip took on a whole new meaning for me.

Going to the World War II memorial became a personal mission to pay further respect to my grandfather and the men and women who served alongside him. The desire to honor our predecessors and heroes is natural to us. It is ingrained in us by American culture, although this is not strictly an American idea. Instead, it takes varying forms throughout every culture in the world.

In the Bible, building memorials had a twofold purpose: (1) to remember men, women, and events, and (2) to acknowledge the work of God in history. Building memorials is especially prevalent in the Old Testament, though we do see references to this cultural tradition in the New Testament. Let's look briefly at one biblical memorial described in Joshua 4:1-7:

"Now it came about when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying 'Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, and command them, saying, 'Take up for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.'' So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; and Joshua said to them, 'Cross again to the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel. Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, 'What do these stones mean to you?' then you shall say to them, 'Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.'' So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever."

The construction of a single memorial is here described; yet, look at all of the things it stands for: the twelve tribes of Israel, the waters of the Jordan being cut off, the Israelites' passage through the Jordan, and the camp site where the Israelites stayed after crossing. If we look back into the previous chapter, we find that there is even more symbolism: "And Joshua said, 'By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite" (Joshua 3:10). This event signifies a promise of the inheritance of the promised land by God's chosen people.

We could look at many more examples. In many cases and across many cultures, memorials are physical, constructed by man for a specific purpose. Memorials may also be ritual. A biblical example of a ritual memorial is that of the Passover, which is described in Exodus 12; this ritual is redefined under the New Covenant, and the apostle Paul gives a discussion over it in 1 Corinthians 11:23-34.

Whether edifice or ritual, building and keeping memorials is vital to our existence. It is a part of our personal, as well as social and cultural, heritage.

Our challenge today is to take time and remember. I know you're busy; I am too. However, there have been many people and events which have remarkably shaped each one of our lives. Perhaps this means taking a few minutes to look at some pictures you haven't seen in a while, or making a phone call, or paying a visit to a place that was dear to you. Perhaps, instead, it is as simple as being still and reflecting. Today, let's remember, and let's thank God for the men and women that He has put in our lives to shape us. Let's honor God for His work in and around us.

Bibliography

New American Standard Bible. La Habra, CA: Lockman Foundation, 1977. Kindle.