Memorial Day: End of May

Memorial Day is a national holiday featuring military rituals and civic services to commemorate those who made great sacrifices for their country. Many communities hold Memorial Day parades, picnics, and ceremonies. Many rural churches with cemeteries celebrate with a religious or civic ceremony. The act of remembering within the church carries with it deeply meaningful and necessary acts of grieving. Remembering reminds us that God helps us put back together the broken pieces of our lives. Memorial Day can be a very solemn day for veterans of recent combat and may awaken fresh feelings of grief and regret. Gather a group of church members together to attend the community Memorial Day events as a show of solidarity with veterans in the congregation. Those invited to be speakers and those planning civic ceremonies should be asked to keep the purposes for the commemorations in mind.

Purpose

• Share the burden of those who have gone to war.
• Be reminded of the losses from hostile forces, the war, and its aftermath.
• Grieve with veterans, loved ones, and friends.

Prayers for the Sunday Before Memorial Day
Consider including congregational petitions and prayers for all who have experienced war and long for peace.

Petition: We hold in our hearts those who continue to endure the trauma of war. We remember the maimed and the wounded. We remember those whose sleep is disturbed by the memories of war. We remember those who wrestle with addiction and those who struggle with depression. We especially remember those who have died (read names). Grant us patience and perseverance as we renew our pledge to support those in our midst who still suffer the trauma of war.

Confessional Prayer: As a nation, help us to realize and confess the role we play in causing the horrendous sufferings of war. Give us courage to bear responsibility for the things we have done and the things we have left undone, and give us wisdom to make amends that lead to justice, peace, and reconciliation.