Bishop’s Letter for Memorial Day Observance 29 May 2023, Anno Domini (in the 247th year of our Declaration of Independence)

 

 

T

HAT this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?  (Joshua 4:6)

 

            In remembrance of all the courageous men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms, we observe this day of Memorial, and well we should. The Perfect Law of Liberty comes down to us by the grace of God. All who bear, or have borne, arms in the defense of Liberty as ministers of God to execute wrath against those who would trample those liberties under foot.

 

            Just as the Lord God dried up the waters of the Red Sea and Jordan River for thew passage of His people into His chosen refuge for them, so did He stand on the banks of the Delaware and wrought the fog to cover the waters that blinded the Hessian forces, fighting under the British flag, to Washington’s crossing in force. God has been our refuge in many battles from that time until now. How shall we remember the Hand of God as well as those who ministered His purpose in our victories? We read of them and tell our children of men such as Washington, Lafayette, Robert E. Lee, General McClelland, Sergeant York, Audi Murphy, and a host of others. To bear witness of our heroic Fore-Fathers, we have scheduled this day of Remembrance. We have also erected monuments across the landscape of America to call to our recollection that such men bled and died on the altar of Liberty for us. 

 

            If, by cunning art, the enemy is allowed to destroy our monuments and historical references, we are rendered helpless to justify our God-given rights under a harsh totalitarian regime. In all known history, one of the first methods of subverting a nation has been to destroy its institutional memory. The Nazis did it, the Communists did (and are doing) it, the Al-Qaida Muslims did it, and now we see the same practice emerging on the shores of our beloved land. Our children have been made ignorant of our history through Marxist propagandizing in our public education. And we have stood by silently throughout the entire process. 

 

            Let us honor the memory of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice on the field of battle for us; and, more importantly, let us be willing to bear the same burden of sacrifice for the freedoms of ourselves, our fellow citizens, and our children. History teaches us what can happen when men and women refuse to stand boldly in defense of their freedoms.

 

            When the Children of Israel passed over Jordan Banks, there were two monumental memorials laid down to commemorate that crossing – one mound of twelve stones on the far Bank of Jordan (western-side), but also one mound of twelve stones in the midst of the riverbed where the feet of the priest stood holding the Ark of the Lord in abeyance of the waters of the river. When the muddy waters of the Jordan were once more set in free-flow, that mid-river memorial was hidden from sight. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.  (Joshua 4:9) What purpose did the hidden memorial serve? It is symbolic of our duty to not simply remember in outward from the great occasion of the crossing of the Jordan, but also the inward and spiritual remembrance thereof in our values and character.

 

            Not only do those who would subvert the God-given freedoms of America wish to abolish the outward recognition of our heroes through demolition of monuments, but also to remove them from our inward understanding by eliminating any historical reference to them in our public schools via indoctrination.

 

            The Providence of God was with us at our Founding as a nation; but He will not stand idly by as we openly rebel against that Providential Hand: For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over  (Joshua 4:23)

 

            Let us honor our God, our Flag, and our Fore-Fathers this Memorial Day, but every day of our future being – and let us ALWAYS stand for our National Anthem under whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars our Ancestors valiantly fought that we may breathe freely the pristine air of Liberty. Happy Memorial Day! 

 

The Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide Communion

Jerry L. Ogles, DD, Presiding Bishop

Master Aviator, US Army