Remembering Sacrifices Many of Us Can’t Even Imagine

My father fought on several fronts during World War II, both in Europe and northern Africa. He was wounded twice, for which he received two Purple Hearts, along with a Bronze Star for valor and meritorious service. However, contrary to what theatrical films from the late 1940s and ‘50s seemed to indicate, he didn’t find war a time for forming fond memories. As a friend of mine who served in Vietnam has often said, “John Wayne lied.”

How do I know how my father felt about his military service? First of all, Dad never talked about his wartime experiences. They weren’t things he wanted to spend reminiscing. And second, many times I heard my dad wake up screaming in the middle of the night from some nightmare, probably war-related.

Those days were before the term Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was created to describe the lingering, devastating effects of taking part in combat. During World War I, they used the term, “shell shock.” “Battle fatigue” was the term utilized during and after the second World War. No matter which term is used, those of us who have never fought in a war can’t begin to understand what it must have been like for those who did.

 

Since 1868, our nation has observed Memorial Day – formerly known as Decoration Day – to honor U.S. military personnel who have died during wartime service. On this federal holiday, many people visit cemeteries and memorials, paying respects and decorating graves to honor and mourn those who gave their lives to protect freedoms and values embraced by our nation.

 

Thankfully, my father wasn’t among those who lost their lives during World War II. I wouldn’t be here if he had. Nonetheless, what he saw, heard and felt in combat left indelible scars on his mind, as has been the case for so many of our veterans who returned home. Some came back with visible physical injuries, but virtually all brought unseen mental and emotional wounds that were slow to heal, if at all.

So, Memorial Day’s a worthy tribute to those who sacrificed their lives on many battlegrounds, from the Civil War onward. Even though most of us wish there was no such thing as war, wishing does not do away with the tragic events that have transpired almost from the start of human history. We dare not forget the high price our valiant soldiers have paid.

 

What if there were a “memorial day” for people in the Bible? We could trace back to Abel, who gave a more acceptable sacrifice of worship to God, only to be killed by his brother, Cain, in a heinous act of sibling rivalry (recounted in Genesis 4:2-16).

 

Many of us know the story of Samson, a very flawed individual whom God gifted with great strength. His weakness for women brought him many consequences. But despite being blinded, Judges 15 tells us he was able to kill many enemy Philistines by destroying their pagan temple – with them inside.

 

Through the centuries, prophets have been killed for faithfully standing up and speaking out for the Lord. In the New Testament we learn that many of Jesus’ closest followers, including John the Baptist, Peter and James, lost their lives for proclaiming Him as the Messiah, the Son of God. Paul once persecuted and participated in the killing of Christians as a zealous Pharisee. He was transformed by a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, became a leader of the early Church, and was executed for the “crime” of preaching salvation grace through faith in Christ alone. 

 

The list could go on, but Christianity does observe one “memorial day,” in which we remember the greatest, most momentous sacrifice of all – the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. We call it Good Friday. As Romans 5:8 declares, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

 

This fulfilled what Jesus had told Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Elsewhere, He also said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

 

This Memorial Day we pause to remember the countless thousands who willingly served and gave their lives on battlefields all around the world, hoping to preserve the rights and freedoms we hold dear. But let’s also remember – not just for one day, but every day – the One who died to set us from the penalty of sin and rebellion against God: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Sacrifice: The Hardest Gift to Give

Do you remember the classic O. Henry short story, “The Gift of the Magi”? It’s typically read around the Christmas season, because it’s centered around Christmas Eve. But the lesson it teaches fits any day of the year.

To refresh, it’s about a young couple with little money wanting to buy a very special gift for each other. Della secretly resolves to cut and sell much of her lovely, long hair to buy a chain for husband Jim’s prized pocket watch; Jim, unaware of her plan, sells his watch to buy beautiful combs for Della’s hair.

Readers of the story, as well as those who have seen any of its many dramatic adaptations, are struck by the irony of their selfless gestures. Honestly, the first time I saw it, I think my reaction was something like, “Well, that was dumb! Now what are they going to do with the watch chain and combs?” But as you ponder the message, it presents a tangible example of what personal sacrifice looks like.

Sometimes life calls for a sacrifice
for which there is no turning back.

I like how preacher James MacDonald recently expressed it: “Sacrifice is giving up something you love for something you love even more.” The question is, how many of us would be willing to do something like that?

Sacrifice is a word – and an act – that seems increasingly out of fashion these days. We might be willing to give, or lend a helping hand, but only as long as it doesn’t require too much from us. For years, society has been convincing us, “it’s all about me” and “you gotta look out for No. 1.” If it’s all about me, then why should I be all that concerned about you?

At the same time, we’re often fascinated by accounts of great sacrifice. We talk about “the ultimate sacrifice” – a soldier giving up his or her life thousands of miles away on a field of battle, or a firefighter dying in the attempt to save someone else. Even though many people can’t give the biblical reference, they appreciate the kindness of a “good Samaritan” (the story is found in Luke 10:25-37), someone going to extreme lengths to help another person, often a total stranger.

It was Jesus Christ who said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends” (John 15:13). He then proceeded to demonstrate that truth, giving His life on the cross to become the atoning sacrifice to pay for mankind’s rebellion against its Creator. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The Trinity remains an unfathomable mystery to the human mind, but the Scriptures make it clear Christ’s sacrifice was hardly happenstance. We told, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17).

Later the apostle Paul writes that long before you or I were even a gleam in our parents’ eyes, the penalty for our sins had been paid. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). As I sometimes ask men I have the privilege of mentoring, “How many sins had we personally committed when Jesus went to the cross for us?” Since that was about 2,000 years ago, the obvious answer is, “None.”

What kind of sacrifice would you be willing to make for another person, whether a loved one – or a complete stranger? If you’re thinking that’s a tough question, I don’t blame you. It’s a difficult one for me, too. But ultimately, the so-called “Christian life” is one of sacrifice, being willing to give up something we love if necessary to serve and worship the One we love even more.

As Jesus told His followers, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). That is, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer phrased it, “the cost of discipleship.” Which is why Paul wrote, “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). Every day I find it necessary to ask – and remind – myself, “am I willing to make that sacrifice?”

Value – and Importance – of Remembering

The Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. is one of many
memorials designed to help us remember our national heritage.

Every year we observe Memorial Day, a time of remembrance and reflection about the sacrifices of men and women who have served our country in global wars and conflicts. When we consider the costs paid over nearly two-and-a-half centuries, this commemoration should never cease.

Can you imagine what the world – let alone our nation – would be like if the Revolutionary War had not been fought? If the Civil War had never been waged? Or if World War I and World War II had not been undertaken to oppose tyranny and thwart the advance of evil?

The war in Vietnam and the various conflicts in the Middle East have been far more controversial. But the sacrifices made – including the thousands of lives lost and the paralyzing and disabling injuries suffered – by our military entitle them to great honor and our full appreciation.

Julius Tamasy, served in World War II.

My father served in World War II in both infantry and armored divisions, experiencing battle on fronts in both Europe and Africa and being wounded twice. He was still in active service in the U.S. Army as fighting in Vietnam began to escalate, and after more than 22 years of service he elected to retire. “I’m not going both for the third bullet,” he stated with great honesty.

He knew too well the horrors of war. I still remember nights he would awaken screaming, no doubt emerging from a nightmare that revisited one of the horrific moments of confronting and doing battle with the enemy. Unlike the depiction of theatrical films of the 1940s and ‘50s, war was not fun.

Even for those of us that never saw a moment of wartime conflict, knowing what others have done on our behalf is worth our remembrance. In Washington, D.C. various memorials assist with this remembering process, ranging from the picturesque Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson memorials to newer memorials to honor those who died in the world wars and Vietnam.

The Washington Memorial,
recently reopened, also
symbolizes American
pride and values.

Holocaust memorials have been created not only in Germany and Poland where death camps were located, but also in other parts of the world. Recently the 9/11 Memorial Museum was opened in New York City to honor the victims of that horrific day and “bear solemn witness to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and Feb. 26, 1993.”

Of course, this practice of using memorials to trigger our memories is hardly new. It’s been used in many societies, and memorial creation figures prominently even throughout the pages of the Bible. After the Israelites finished crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land, God instructed Joshua to appoint leaders for each of the 12 tribes to remove a large stone from the river floor and arrange them “to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever” (Joshua 4:7).

The Israelites were instructed to observe various annual festivals and feasts to keep fresh in their collective memory how God had intervened on their behalf to preserve a chosen nation of people that has continually defied the odds of survival.

When a woman poured expensive perfume on Jesus’ head, He quieted her critics with His declaration, “When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, whenever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her” (Matthew 26:12-13).

And all around the world, followers of Christ participate in a regular memorial service called the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion. Writing to believers in the city of Corinth, the apostle Paul recounted Jesus’ final meal with His disciples: “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you, do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me’ (1 Corinthians 11:23-25).

So this Memorial Day we pause and reflect on those, as we will hear repeatedly, that gave “the ultimate sacrifice.” And so we should. But as we do so, those of us that profess Christ as Savior and Lord should also take a moment and observe a different kind of memorial, a remembrance for the One that truly made the Ultimate Sacrifice, willingly enduring death on a cross to make atonement for the countless sins of mankind.

That is truly worth remembering.

The Ultimate Sacrifice

Sadly it seems every week, sometimes more often than that, we learn about someone making “the ultimate sacrifice” – a soldier dying in combat in the Middle East; a law enforcement officer getting killed while attempting to apprehend a violent criminal; even someone giving his or her life trying to save a perishing friend.

Would you be willing to make such a sacrifice for someone? Has that thought ever crossed your mind? Obviously it’s not something we plan for, or prepare to do. There’s no academic curriculum for would-be heroes, and it’s not something most of us aspire to. I’ve always thought actor and director Woody Allen had a sensible perspective: “I’m not afraid of dying. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”

This week, however, countless millions around the world will commemorate an event that lifted the term, “the ultimate sacrifice,” to a totally different level. More than 2,000 years ago, on a crude wooden cross atop a hillside outside of Jerusalem, Jesus Christ gave His life. We’ve seen paintings, sculptures, even movies and dramatic depictions of the crucifixion, but none of us can truly understand what it was like to die in such a way.

The Bible asserts Jesus’ death, unlike contemporary acts of heroism, was neither spontaneous nor unexpected. It was intended, central to His mission on earth. There was no other alternative for dealing with the plague afflicting 100 percent of humanity – the plague of sin.

Romans 5:8 tells us, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

And lest we believe Jesus became caught up in a tragic chain of circumstances that spiraled out of control, He had informed His followers in advance, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me…and I lay down my life for the sheep…. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father” (John 10:14-18).

Another distinction between Christ’s sacrifice and the noble, selfless acts performed by men and women is that His death was not an ending, but in a very real sense just a beginning. That’s why the day for remembering the crucifixion of Jesus is known as Good Friday, rather than “bad Friday” or “black Friday.”

The Sunday after His tomb was found empty, no longer required for the resurrected Christ. He not only had willingly offered Himself as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of mankind, but also had paved the way for His followers to experience life unlike anything they’d ever known: “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:1-5).

So this week we remember the hideous day when Jesus hung on a cross, abandoned by all to the extent that He cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Thankfully, we also celebrate Easter, the day when God once and for all achieved His victory over death.

For this we rightly declare, “Hallelujah! He is risen - He is risen indeed!”

The Steep Price of Freedom

First a disclaimer: I never served a day in the armed forces. I participated in ROTC for a couple of quarters at Ohio State, but once I fulfilled the requirement, got out. It was the Vietnam era. The military wasn’t “cool,” at least on college campuses during the late 1960s.

But my father served in the Army – more than 22 years, in fact. He fought in infantry and armored divisions during World War II, in Europe and Northern Africa. He was wounded twice, receiving two Purple Hearts to prove it, along with other commendations.

When the Vietnam War was just escalating, before hardly anyone even knew where Vietnam was, he retired from the Army. Having inside information about what was happening over there, realizing it was a virtual no-win situation, he said, “I’m not going back for a third bullet.”

My dad wasn’t a coward. He had served nobly and sacrificially in “the big war.” Thankfully he survived physically, although nightmares that occasionally awakened him at night, screaming, indicated his psyche did not return from conflict 100 % intact.

 

So this Memorial Day I don’t have memories of camaraderie, friendships forged in the clutches of combat. But my father did, and I’m forever grateful for his and others’ courageous dedication and service, serving the USA, its freedom and values against foes overseas.

Sadly, we still have soldiers – men and women – fighting in conflicts overseas. Thousands have lost their lives in the Middle East, giving their all to protect our nation and its people from a repeat of terrorist acts that etched 9/11 deeply in our memories.

Growing up, the John Wayne movies made war look heroic, even fun. I suspect films like “Saving Private Ryan” hit much closer to the realities and horrors of war. So I’m even more thankful for those who have died for America, as well as for those who have suffered injuries to the body, mind and spirit. May we never forget!

I’m even more thankful for the true “ultimate gift”: the willing sacrifice of Jesus Christ who, like the soldiers we remember this weekend, died so we could win a war. Except the war He fought was not against ideologies, but against the very source of evil – something the Bible calls “sin.” “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Knowing the sacrifice He was about to make, Jesus told His followers, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Since the birth of our nation, countless thousands have laid down their lives for “friends” – men, women and children that would enjoy freedom in this life. Jesus died that we might experience spiritual freedom, not only in this life, but also in the life to come.