Freedom...Earn This

As we look ahead to Memorial Day, I’m reminded of a powerful movie I saw years ago: Saving Private Ryan.  Pvt. Ryan was the only one of five brothers who had not died in World War II.  In order to keep his mother from being childless, a special operation was staged to retrieve him from the front lines and return him to the US.  The operation was incredibly costly.  Many lives were given to save his.  At the end of the movie, the captain of the operation spoke these dying words to Pvt. Ryan: “Earn this.”  

Many lives have been given over the years to protect and defend our freedom as Americans.  Men and women have gone before us that have sacrificed in ways we cannot fathom.  As we remember those sacrifices next Monday, we should also stop and hear their voices speaking to us: “Earn this.”  As Americans, we have been blessed beyond measure.  We have been entrusted with an incredible amount of freedom. The way to honor those who have gone before us is to use that freedom well.  To use it in ways that ensure justice and opportunity.  As Christians we are especially blessed to be able to worship and serve God without fear.  We can use this freedom to point people to the greatest freedom - a freedom from sin and death.  But let’s also remember that this greatest freedom can never be earned.  It is always a gift that is ours at Christ’s expense.