Today we share in our national day of remembrance, Memorial Day. God has blessed us with this country so let us offer and show our love, our gratitude and our prayers for all those who protect our lives and country, and all those who paid the ultimate price in that cause.

We offer prayers to those who gave that sacrifice yet are unknown;

those soldiers who fought to create this country, the unknown Revolutionary War soldiers buried at Oriskany, those unknowns buried on the battlefields of Gettysburg, Antietam, Shiloh Chancellorsville and others, those buried under a cross or Star of David with no engraved name in the cemeteries of Normandy, and those honored soldiers in our national Unknown Soldier Memorial.

As Christians let us commit to a life of working for peace, a life honoring God's commandment to love our neighbors.

As Americans we see the turmoil and the violence in our country so let us as a country commit to these words by our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln:

"...that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom..."

"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, a God gives us to see the right, let us strive to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nations wounds..."

God bless us,

God bless the United States of America.