Announcements
SYMPATHY: is extended to the family and friends of Lillian Zachs, who passed away on Sunday, May 19. She was a member of the Good Shepherd Class. A service was held on Friday, May 24, in Sykesville.
RECOGNIZING OUR GRADUATES: Next Sunday, June 2, is the final day to submit a form to have your graduate recognized in our special handout. Stop by the Welcome Desk today to complete a form before it is too late.
PROMOTION SUNDAY: Next Sunday, June 2, all school-aged children will be advancing to the Sunday School Class of the grade they will be entering in the fall.
From My Heart
Tomorrow is a very special day for our beloved countryMemorial Day is the day we set aside to remember our nation’s war dead. On May 5, 1886, the folks of Waterloo, New York gathered to honor soldiers who died in the Civil War. Congress declared that small group who gathered on that day as the date where Memorial Day had its birth. Since that day, the custom spread. As consider all the wars and conflicts where American lives have been lost defending our nation’s freedoms, it seems certain that few families have not been touched by the loss of a loved one in defense of American values.
As Americans lay wreaths on the graves of the dead and honor them in other ways, there is a longing and hope that ways can be found to prevent wars in the future. But as believers, we know the Lord Jesus said in the last days “ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars” (Matthew 24:6).
One of the most famous monuments in our country is outside of Washington, D.C. in the town of Arlington, Va. It is the TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER. At the tomb, there is a small panel that bears the inscription: “Here rests in honored glory an American Soldier known but to God.” That tomb is guarded day and night, in rain, snow, sleet, hail, wind, cold, and heat by a special group chosen to watch over that tomb.
At the end of WWI, in early 1921, six American soldiers serving in the occupation forces in Germany were ordered to report to a chapel at Chalons-sur-Marne. There an American officer met them outside the chapel and said, “It is my task to choose one of you to perform a sacred duty.” He looked over the men and finally chose Sgt. Edward Younger, handing him a rose from a bouquet of roses he held in his hands. He then told him, “In this church are four caskets. In them lie the bodies of four American soldiers. Go into the church and place a rose on ONE of the caskets. That is all.”
Sgt. Younger went into the chapel, saw the caskets, and walked around each of them three times. He said, “Suddenly I stopped. It was as though something had pulled me.” A voice seemed to whisper in my soul that said, “This is a pal of yours.” So, I placed the rose on the casket in front of me and went back out into the sunlight.” What a testimony detailing the wonderful beginning of this sacred memorial which honors our soldiers who gave their lives for our freedoms.
Have a wonderful day, and may God bless the United States of America.
Pastor Norris