Monday, May 28, 2012

Thoughts on Freedom

This was the first thing we saw as we entered the church building.
The table behind had prayer cards for the families of those who  fell in
defending our freedom. 



            Yesterday at our church, we had a special observance for Memorial Day. Inside each year the church observes three patriotic times of remembrance—Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day.

            Our pastor preached on both our spiritual freedom and our national freedom. He gave statistics of the casualties of the wars in which our nation has fought. I tried to write down the number lost in each war but I couldn’t keep up.
The total of fallen military is 1,500,513. One and a half million men have given their lives so that we can live in peace. So we can travel wherever we want to go. So we can have our homes and celebrate with our families.

            He also reminded us that Jesus Christ died so we could live with Him and with God when God calls us to heaven. When Jesus died on the cross, he also forgave us our sins so that we could be free from the sinful self we have due to our humanity.
            On the grounds a display was set up to honor the fallen Hoosier military of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. There are 140 plus flags, each one with a name on a small cross. It can be seen from the roads that intersect at the corner of the church grounds.
"Military Man" a very intricate process to get this guy looking
so memorable. 
Back View lists the USS Stark casualties as well as the wars. The Korean War fallen are on the top. There are some hologram likenesses of soldiers and the makeshift cross fashioned out of a rifle and helmet.
            This past week, two friends of mine and I attended a Weekday Religious Education picnic because we had worked in that ministry’s program. One of the ladies there invited us to see a display of ‘Men Walking’, a project that will be unveiled in our community on June 1st. We liked this one best. It is called “Military Man”. On its head, torso, and legs are the names of fallen military people from the Korean War until the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. The front of the legs are left blank to be able to add names in the future.

4 comments:

  1. OH, that's wonderful that your church and pastor put so much emphasis on military families, as well as the Lord's freedom.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jen: On our communion table we have the taper candles that the acolytes light. Beside the one on the left, there is a pillar candle they light to remember the military and our nation. It has a red, white, and blue gross grain ribbon looped around it. Also, on our prayer sheet, updated twice a week, is a section listing military people who are family or friends of the church members.

      Delete
  2. I like your pastor's linking spiritual freedom to our freedom as a country. That's powerful.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rhonda:
    He's great pastor, loves the Lord and always challenges us. He's also very busy.

    ReplyDelete

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