Sacrifice and Freedom

What a weekend! What a holiday! What a service! What a sacrifice!

Let's just be honest here. Typically, Sunday services are not well attended on Memorial Day weekend. Typically. I am so glad that Midtowne is no a typical church. Not only was attendance great, but the service was too.

The music was fantastic. Then we were able to witness the baptism of a mother and her daughter. And then we learned about the sacrifice of American soldiers and the sacrifice of our awesome Savior. The comparison is amazing. The fact still remains that there is no freedom with out sacrifice. Soldiers sacrificed, and still do, so we can live in a free country and Jesus sacrificed Himself for us so that we can live in freedom from the bondage of sin. It's pretty amazing when you stop and think about it.

But that seems to be the problem: stopping to think about it.

Memorial Day has become another one of those "long weekend" holidays that we really don't pay attention to. We certainly enjoy the time off but fail to realize the significance of the holiday itself. It's not just about having an extra day off. It is about the sacrifices that have been made in order to give us a day off.

As we head into the summer and you plan more time off, I hope you will take time to remember the sacrifices that have been made. Not just by our soldiers, but also by our Savior. As we kick off Midtowne's Family Fun Summer this week, it is my prayer that we remember that the only reason we can have the fun we have is because of the sacrifices that have been made for us. Especially the sacrifice of our Savior.

*If you would like to hear the Memorial Day service at Midtowne Church, visit our web site at www.midtownechurch.com and go to the media page. You can listen to the message and download the message notes.