A Holy Remembrance

Parades, fireworks, food, and patriotic celebrations. You may be thinking I’m focused on

America’s 250th birthday coming in July. But this morning, my thoughts are on another

place dear to my heart – the nation of Israel.

Three years ago this week, Heather and I had the opportunity to visit Israel. It was

without a doubt the most amazing experience of our life. The feelings we experienced

as we visited the homeland of Abraham, as we saw where Ezekiel defeated the prophets

of the pagan gods, as we entered King David’s palace cannot be described in words.

We walked the path Jesus walked between Nazareth and Jerusalem, we stood where he

read scripture, we celebrated Holy Communion in the Garden of Gethsemane, we placed

our hands upon the mount where he was crucified changed us in ways we are still

discovering.

But there is another element of our trip that has changed us as well. We were in

Jerusalem during one of the most holy times in the life of the modern nation and people

of Israel. It was actually three events.

The first was Yom HaShoah or Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day. This is

Israel’s day to commemorate the approximately six million Jews murdered in the

Holocaust by Nazi Germany and its allies. It stands as a solemn reminder of the

Holocaust’s devastation and the enduring faith of those who clung to their Jewish identity

even in the darkest moments. It is a day when memory becomes a sacred act, honoring

both the martyrs and the spiritual resilience that survived the Shoah.

The second was Yom HaZikaron or Israel Memorial Day which remembers those who

died in the War of Independence and other wars in Israel. It is a National Day of

Mourning for Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terror, linking the cost of renewed

Jewish sovereignty to real human sacrifice. Its ceremonies call the nation to gratitude,

unity, and reverence for those who gave their lives so Israel could live.

The third was Yom HaAtzmaut or Israel Independence Day which commemorates the

declaration of independence of Israel in 1948. It transforms grief into joy, reminding

Jews worldwide that independence is both a political achievement and a spiritual

milestone—an expression of God’s faithfulness and the Jewish people’s courage to

rebuild.

Together, these days form a sacred journey: from the ashes of destruction, through the

tears of remembrance, to the hope of national rebirth.

As we journeyed through Israel, we experienced some of those same emotions – the

destruction sin caused in our lives, tears of remembrance for loved one, and the promise

of spiritual rebirth. Every day is proof of God’s unending love for us. We don’t have to

visit the Holy Land, though I highly recommend it, to experience that. We get to share

those emotions every Sunday when we gather at Trinity to continue our sacred journey.

I hope you will join us this Sunday.

Pastor Marty