| Words of Life and Hope |
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| The Bible is full
of examples and demonstrations of various types of observances to honor
God and worship Him. That is, after all, the chief purpose of man on
the earth; glorify and worship the Lord our God and Love Him with all our
heart, our soul and might. We find numerous references to the instruction for remembering events past, including honoring and memorializing our ancestors. As Israel prepared to construct the Tabernacle upon their release from the bondage of Egypt, God specifically laid out the design for all the physical details of every aspect of the building, including the Ark, the Table, the Lamp stand, the Altar, and the list goes on. (Read Chapters 25 – 28 of Exodus) All of these physical characteristics |
of worship are represented
in our current and modern day church “buildings”. They are symbolic
of the ceremony and reverence that men remember when they come before
a Holy and awesome God. The chief priest was to wear an “ephod”, a vestment or linen robe and fastened to the shoulder pieces were to be two stones, each with six names of the sons of Israel, or the twelve “tribes”. “Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the LORD.” We clearly understand that their names were not to be worshipped, but they were to be remembered. Throughout the course of America’s history, dates and events have been set aside for special tribute and reflection. |
Some of these “holidays” have lost their
original meaning and have fallen into the grasp of commercialism and no longer
are understood as they were intended.
Confederate Memorial Day can only be preserved, as each of us is willing to teach and pass on its history. Let us do as Israel was instructed and symbolically inscribe the names of our ancestors upon our shoulders and hold them up in the highest esteem so that the entire world will remember them upon this holy memorial season. Visit their graves, place a flag or flower at their marker and show the respect and honor that is due them. Above all, remember that we are the remnant of the men who wore the gray and it is up to us to tell their story. |