MEMORIAL DAY, ALL SAINTS DAY, AND SOLEMN ASSEMBLIES - WHAT'S THE CONNECTION?

Soldiers/Sailors Monument, downtown Indianapolis

 

Happy Memorial Day! You know it's for the purpose of honoring those who died in military service, and probably that it was formerly termed as "Decoration Day," because of the graves being decorated then. 

You may or may not be aware that it started in 1868, following the Civil War. (I wasn't aware until I just looked it up, but I'm not surprised.) I also forgot that when I was in elementary school, it was celebrated on May 30th.

Growing up in Southern California, I heard of the Indianapolis 500, but I didn't pay much attention to it. (Even though I've lived in Indianapolis for over a quarter of a century, I still don't, but that's another story.) It originally was tied in to the holiday, and ran on May 30th each year, UNLESS it was on Sunday, when they ran it a different day of the week. 

Things changed in 1971 when Congress standardized Memorial Day being the last Monday in May. I believe that's when they stopped observing Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays (respectively February 12th and February 22nd) and replaced them with President's the Day, which is the third Monday in February. Notice how they liked creating three day weekends?

I'm sure you're aware that pro-and con- are prefixes that mean the opposite? Likewise, my hunch is you know an excellent example is progress and Congress. Is the date changing example? Let me tell you why I think it is.

For me, Memorial Day is not a day I think much of, because I do not personally know anyone who died defending our country. But to me, it should be a solemn day, not a day to party and have fun. By the way, speaking of fun, I'm sure you're aware that after Memorial Day changed to a set day of the year, the 500 went from being run on Memorial Day but never on Sunday to being run the day before Memorial Day, that is, always on Sunday (unless God tells them by rain to wait a day).

You know what I'd like to see, though? A Christian version of Memorial Day where we remember our fellow brothers and sisters who died for their faith in spiritual warfare. Actually, we have two days that fulfill that role, and they happen to be close to each other.

On November first, we have... Come on! You should be aware of this! I have been trying to promote All Saints Day  for years, not just as a Catholic Day to honor the canonized saints (for example, including church fathers St. Irenaeus and St. Athanasius, but not two other church fathers, Tertullian and Origen, who never were canonized), but to honor all saints - that is, all believers.

 Then, on the first Sunday of November, there is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. After all, Christians are suffering and many paying the ultimate price for their faith in many countries around the world.

Back to Memorial Day. As I stated, I don't know of anybody who died for our country. Becky's father and uncle served in the Korean War; I don't know anybody in my family who served. But those who died for their country deserve to be honored. So should Christians who deny self, take up their cross daily, and follow Christ.

"PENTECOST AND OTHER FORGOTTEN HOLIDAYS," OR "ANOTHER BLOG ON THE FESTIVAL OBSERVING DEBATE"

"Pentecost" by Emil Nolde

 

My goal is to have blogs prepared in advance so they can be automatically be posted at 6am ET  on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. For about a month, any blog was few and far between. The last week, including today, I am writing the blog on the scheduled days and immediately posting it. (Tuesday, I'll have a blog prepared to post; let's see how long I can keep that going!)

Actually, I did plan on writing it yesterday, but I couldn't think what I wanted to write about! After all, I set aside Sundays usually for something more theological, and my mind went blank. But then I woke up this morning, and realized: IT'S PENTECOST SUNDAY! And I forgot all about it! 😭

Not making excuses, but I have a lot of help in not remembering. It's not on calendars. There's no Pentecost sales. Nobody mentioned it at church. Once, I commented that the church I attended never celebrates Pentecost, and I was answered, "We celebrate Pentecost every Sunday. Uh, sorry, but if you celebrate somehing every week, you're not really celebrating it any week. I can also make the same case for Reformation Day or All Saints Day. 

There is debate on whether Christians should celebrate any days, quoting Galatians 4:10-11 in light of turning back to the bondage of the law: "You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain." (All Scriptures are NKJV) One big difference: Paul is warning against Gentiles feeling obligated to celebrate Jewish holidays. Is there anything condemning Christians choosing to celebrate a holiday to remember something like Pentecost or Reformation Day, or Easter or Lent or Advent or Christmas for that matter? Allow me to give you a pair of Scripture passages, and decide if us having freedom in that area is consistent with the teachings of the New Testament: 

1. "To the pure all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure, but even their mind and conscience are defiled." Titus 1:15
2. "Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lorde he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks." Romans 14:4-6

In case you haven't figured it out, the best way to remember something is to do it. In his book "24/6: A Prescription for a Healthier, Happier Life," he mentions that the fourth commandment starts with the word "Remember." We're commanded to observe a weekly Sabbath, and Sleeth points out that we forgot. Now, he's not focused on whether we observe it on the first or seventh day, but rather that we set apart (i.e. sanctify) one day to rest. 

So if somebody wants to help me remember Pentecost or Reformation Day or All Saints Day (and for me, I'd interpret All Saints to include all Christians, not just the ones canonized by the Catholic Church), please do! I'd like company.

And happy Pentecost!

HOLY DAYS, HOLIDAYS, AND HOLLOW DAYS , AND HOW DO WE FOCUS ON THE FORMER?

 

Cedars of Lebanon State Park, Lebanon, TN

A couple of days ago, Becky expressed her sadness about not taking the time to go to a Veteran's Day service.  That got my attention. I had the day off from work, because this year it fell on a Saturday. Maybe part of it is that Becky's father was a veteran. Neither my father nor my paternal grandfather were (I have no idea about my maternal grandfather). 

This blog is being posted on Thanksgiving Day, 2023. You can say the same thing. It seems the day has morphed from Thanksgiving to Turkey Day. It used to be a day when all the stores were closed; now, several are open for pre-Black-Friday deals. :'( I think the day should be a little more, uh, sanctified (set apart), but is my heart focusing on giving thanks any more than any other day? Or am I too excited to turn on the TV for the big sports event of the day: America's Dog Show on NBC?

Allow me to use that introduction to suggest that our special days can fall into three categories: holy days, holidays, and hollow days. And I also want to make it plain that each have their place. Let me take them in reverse order:

1. Hollow Days. Someone I know used that term for what they considered pagan holidays (e.g. Christmas, Easter), to reflect the emptiness. Let me look on the concept more positively - there are days we need to be off from work, have a cook-out with friends, and watch a fireworks show after dark. (What I've just described can be how we celebrate Memorial Day, Independence Day, or Labor Day.) Anything wrong with that? Nope. We need time to rest. 
2. Holidays. These days are ones we celebrate via traditions. We wear green on St. Patrick's Day. We eat turkey and watch football (or in my case, the dog show) on Thanksgiving. We dress up for Halloween. We decorate a tree and deck the halls for Christmas. And we wait with apprehension to see if Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow. Each are fun events that occur once a year that make the day stand out from a day off. In the past (not true now) I would have that mentality for the Oscar's, the baseball All-Star game, and the then-annual showing on CBS of "The Wizard of Oz." None of them change the world, but it gives the year a little variety. 
3. Holy Days. Holy means set apart, and a holy day is set apart. There is a solemnity to that day, like the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) in the Bible. We could have that sanctified approach to major holidays we have off (Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day for families where a member made the ultimate sacrifice) or days that are special to us. In my case, this would include Reformation Day, All Saints Day, World CEF Prayer Day, International Day of Prayer For The Persecuted Church, and World Refugee Day. 

Confession time. These days I mentioned usually are just a normal day. I want that to change. Reformation Day and All Saints Day are ones that currently are something I quietly acknowledge, but I really want to celebrate it with others! True, it might be overdoing it to have a Reformation Day party one day and follow it up with an All Saints Day party 24 hours later. But you get the idea.

Can I summarize? We need days to rest. We need days to have fun and break up the routine. And we need days to reflect.

THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR AND OTHER POST REFORMATION DAY THOUGHTS

The River Community Church, Cookeville, TN

Hope you've enjoyed my Reformation Day series, where I reviewed five books and an album. Let me close with some thoughts. 

Two of the five books I reviewed focused on the Reformation. Both books had several references to Augustine, Luther, and Calvin. But other reformers didn't get as much love. In one book, Melanchthon was mentioned four times and Zwingli twice; the other didn't list either. But that book did mention Wycliffe and Tyndale more. And is John Knox a Reformer? Neither book mentioned him. 

I looked up "Sola Scriptura" on Spotify, and found several selections listed. At first, I was excited - several albums on the subject I could review and lengthen this series! Alas, most of the selections were either rap (not my cup of tea), singles, in a foreign language, or in one case didn't reflect the subject of the title. 😭

I will mention that Reformation Day starts what I consider "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year." No, Christmas isn't part of the time; in fact, my favorite holiday - Thanksgiving - isn't in that period. I could call it "Holy Week," though that name is taken. This time is a week (or less), and includes four days that are special to me. Two are set on the calendar, same date every year; the other two are always on the same day of the week. What are the four?

1. Reformation Day, October 31st. No duh. After all, I did say it started with Reformation Day, didn't I? I want to keep a Semper Reformanda mindset, always reforming.
2. All Saints Day, November 1st. No, I'm not a Catholic, and I don't define a saint as they do - I believe all Christians are saints, and I believe the New Testament backs that up. But I want a time to celebrate those who have been inspirations to me, whether they're currently in heaven or on earth.
3. International Day of Prayer For The Persecuted Church, 1st Sunday of November. (I'm actually writing this on that day.)
4. World Day of Prayer for Child Evangelism Fellowship, 1st Wednesday of November. 

So, let me end by trying to start a discussion. What do these four days I just mentioned mean to you? If you aren't thinking of those days, how can you make them more meaningful?

 

SUNDAY PSALMS PART 43 OF 48 (REFORMATION DAY/ALL SAINTS DAY EDITION) - PSALM 101

 

Arlington Avenue Baptist Church, Indianapolis

1  I will sing of mercy and justice;
    To You, O LORD, I will sing praises.
2  I will behave wisely in a perfect way.
    Oh, when will You come to me?
    I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
3  I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;
    I hate the work of those who fall away;
    It shall not cling to me.
4  A perverse heart shall depart from me;
    I will not know wickedness.

5  Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor,
    Him I will destroy;
    The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart,
    Him I will not endure.
6  My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land,
    That they may dwell with me;
    He who walks in a perfect way,
    He shall serve me.
7  He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house;
    He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence.
8  Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land,
    That I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.
                        Psalm 101:1-8, New King James Version

 Do we mirror the Psalmist (identified as David) in these following aspects covered in this Psalm:

• Godly behavior, including not setting anything evil before our eyes and not letting the work of those who turn from Christ cling to us (verses 2-4)?
• Not tolerating the presence of the proud, the dishonest, and other evildoers (verses 5, 7-8)?
• A desire to be surrounded by those faithful to God (verse 6)?

This is something to think about with Reformation Day (the name of the pagan celebration that shares the October 31st celebration date) and All Saints Day. Do we want a new beginning to our personal lives, our church, our society? Do we want to see reformation, restoration, spiritual awakening and revival? Would the above be a factor?

 

 

SUNDAY HYMNS, PART 13 OF 22: STAND UP, STAND UP FOR JESUS

At Faith Family Church, Cookeville, TN

Stand up! Stand up for Jesus, Ye soldiers of the Cross!

Lift high His royal banner, It must not suffer loss. 

From victory unto victory, His army shall He lead

Till every foe is vanquished And Christ is Lord indeed.

 

Stand up! Stand up for Jesus, The trumpet call obey.

Forth to the mighty conflict In this His glorious day.

Ye that are men, now serve Him Against unnumbered foes;

Let courage rise with danger And strength to strength oppose.

 

Stand up! Stand up for Jesus, Stand in His strength alone;

The arm of flesh will fail you, Ye dare not trust your own.

Put on the Gospel armor, each piece put on with prayer;

Where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.

  

Stand up! Stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long:

This day the noise of battle, The next the Victor's song.  

To him that overcometh, A crown of life shall be;

He with the King of Glory Shall reign eternally. 

 

NOTES ON THIS HYMN

• For those paying attention: Yes, I did deviate from my original format of going in alphabetic order for the first 16 installments. Why? Well, those who know me know two of my favorite holidays are Reformation Day (Oct. 31) and All Saints Day (Nov. 1). (You probably know some other holiday I won't name that shares the date with Reformation Day is one of my least.) Out of the songs on my list, I thought this was most fitting for Reformation Day and All Saints Day. I'll resume in alphabetic order where I left off next week.
  
• In the hymnal I grew up with, the lyrics were included to two different tunes. Hymn #459 is to the tune Geibel, which had the words to verses 1, 2, and 4, and included a chorus (which lyrically consisted of the first two lines); this was the newer tune. #460 is to the tune Webb, which I hear more often and is the tune I normally see in hymnals, which included all four verses, but no chorus.
• You can call the meter of this hymn either 7, 6, 7, 6 doubled or 13, 13, 13, 13. 
• I know I have no role in planning my funeral, but if you asked me what songs I'd like sung at my funeral, this would be one.   

REMEMBERING PEOPLE I WISH I HAD KNOWN BETTER

  

Bill Bean (left) with Sam Goldstein, working at the LP booth at the Irvington Festival, October 29, 2016

 

This is Memorial Day weekend. Usually, Memorial Day is just a day off. As usual for the Sunday of this end-of-May weekend, the Indianapolis 500 is being run on the West end on town. So? If you gave me a choice between the 500, the Kentucky Derby, and the annual Zoopolis race between Galapagos Tortoises ... I'd say the 500 would be in distant third place. It also would lose out to the Chihuahua race each year in Chattanooga, and the lizard race in Lovington, New Mexico.

As far as the real reason for the day off, I applaud us taking a day to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. But that is an ideal. I am at least a third generation non-military. I do not personally know anyone who died in a war. Thus, the holiday doesn't really get close to me.

I do think that there's a place for the Church to remember the martyrs who went before, both in church history and those who are enduring persecution here and now. Should Christians hijack Memorial Day for this? All Saints Day and International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church - the former being the first day of November, the latter being the first Sunday of November - come close, but All Saints Day recognizes all saints, not just martyrs, while the other focuses on those who are living. 

But that's not the point of this blog. Instead, I'd like to take this time to remember three people who I knew for a short period of time who died before I could get to know them better.

The first was Chris Finchum (left). In 2009, I was putting together the second annual festival at Arlington Avenue Baptist Church in Indianapolis. He contacted me at a point where I had all the slots filled. Four years later, he again contacted me, and we had a spot for him that year. He also was asked to share in music the following day. He made an impression on me and on pastor Richard Walton, who thought he would be a good choice to fill in whenever he and the family went out of town for worship (his wife, Trish, does the song leading).

Less than a week later, he was in heaven, after going on 43 years here. Yes, it was unexpected.

The second was Bill Bean (above). I met him at the annual Irvington Festival, working the booth for the Libertarian Party with him. I also saw him a few weeks later at the election-eve party at Scotty's Brewhouse. He later became the  chairman for the Marion County branch of the Party.

Early 2018, he called and asked me to join him for breakfast, which I did. My first thought was he wanted to ask me to run for office. No. The reason was that Bill realized that the Libertarian Party and the Church were suspect of each other and wanted to work on ending the divide. I was honored for him to ask.

Then, in July, he got ill, and he went home to the Lord by the end of the year. How I wish I could have known him better.

The most recent is Christopher Pole. He was one of three gentlemen who took turns teaching the Living Stones Class at Northside Baptist Church. Becky and I just joined Northside early last year (2021), and started attending the class in the fall. Early this year, he was diagnosed with cancer. He's now in heaven too. I wish I had the opportunity to have more fellowship with that beloved brother.

One joy for a Christian is to believe death is not the end. I WILL have opportunity to know them much better in heaven. And I can praise the Lord that none of these had a prolonged time of struggling with their illnesses. 

And so I remember these brothers this Memorial Day.

HOW ABOUT AN ALL SAINTS DAY PARTY?

 

When I read Building the Benedict Option: A Guide to Gathering Two or Three Together in His Name, author Leah Libresco mentioned two ideas that intrigued me. The first was Easter caroling. Hey, why not? Stopping at homes and singing about the Resurrection? The other was a Saints party, where everybody would go around and talk about their favorite saints.

Yes, Libresco is Catholic, and this concept sounds more Catholic than Baptist. Other than Christmas and Good Friday/Easter, the only other liturgical calendar event I've seen at a church I attended was the lighting of the Advent candles. Even though Pentecost is based on a Biblical event focusing on the church, I see more emphasis given to Mother's Day and the Fourth of July. Reformation Day may get some attention - which it deserves - but don't expect All Saints Day to be noticed.

Let me give a dissenting voice. I want to celebrate All Saints Day. I want to have a Saints party! I want to get together with other believers and hear which saints have made an impact on them.

Of course, as most Baptists, I have a different definition to the word "saint." Catholics believe certain people are saints. They go through a process that starts with Beatification, which requires a miracle their posthumous intercession is responsible for, followed by canonization to sainthood following a second miracle. My hunch is most saints to gain that status during the lifetime of their contemporaries. 

When I read the term "saint" in the New Testament, it refers to all believers, not just the spiritual superstars. Paul addressed his recipients as saints, even the model church in Cornith. (A model church of what should be avoided.) Church fathers Tertullian and Origen didn't make the cut of being saints in the Catholic definition, but I expect them to be in the company of the saints in heaven. Besides, as hinted at, you can be a saint where you're alive.

I'll never forget listening to a call on a talk show the day Mother Theresa passed. The host said that she was a saint, and that he and the caller were not. If I had access to a non-work phone, I would have dissented. If we believe in Christ, we're saints. And we're not to see others as being so far beyond us that we can never be close to them, but rather make it our aim to be fully pleasing to Christ (2 Cor. 5:9). 

Another objection is that we're to follow Christ. All human models are fallible. The so-called heroes in the Bible like Noah, Moses, David, and Peter have moments (or more) of failure. Only Jesus lived a sinless life. True, but don't forget 1 Corinthians 11:1 where Paul says be imitators of him as he imitated Christ. 

So who are my favorite saints? I thought about making a list, and I might next year, but I will give five off the top of my head to get conversations going. They would be:

• Drew Brees, quarterback of the New Orleans Saints. Is my tongue in cheek here? Just a little. I know enough to know he's the real deal as a believer.
• Charles Simeon, a pastor in England and contemporary of Jonathan Edwards and the Wesleys. He endured a lot of hostility from his congregation for over a decade, even getting locked out of the church. As a wealthy man, he bought churches (a common practice then) so he could hire Gospel preaching pastors for their pulpit. And I love his dialog with John Wesley (I might write a blog about that sometime).
• Isaac Watts. Not quite my favorite hymn lyric writer - Charles Wesley edges him out. But besides hymns, he also was an apologist. He wrote age-appropriate catachisms for children, and a logic book that was used by Oxford and Cambridge (schools he wasn't able to attend because he was a non-conformist) and Yale.
• Brother Alex in Columbia. He and his co-workers were stopped by guerillas, most of which were killed. They shot Alex in the eye, to which Alex replied, "Has anybody told you Jesus loves you?" After the incident, the gunmen were arrested and imprisoned, and Alex went to visit them and tell them of the love of God.
• Pastor Joe LoMusio, former pastor at Cactus Baptist Church (Phoenix, AZ) and Temple Baptist Church (Fullerton, CA). I can tell you about the sermon he preached the first Sunday night I heard him preach at Cactus Baptist Church, including his text, his main point, an illustration he used from his life, and a joke he made. That sermon was in late August, 1978.

 I'd love to talk about more, but I'll pass for now. Allow me to comment, though, that like the meme I have at the top of this blog - "Surround yourself with those who bring you closer to God. This includes not just your friends, but the authors you read (non-fiction and fiction), the musicians you listen to, and even what you watch (some might help your walk with the Lord, some might hinder).

Who are your favorite saints?