May 24, 2026

This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend, and we will recognize this important holiday during our Sunday services. Each service will start with a moment of silence and prayer for the families of those who have lost loved ones in the defense of our freedom. Then I will share a message from John 15:13 - No Greater Love. There is no greater love than for a man to lay down his life for another. I hope you will include one of our services as part of your Memorial Day Weekend.

What would cause one person to be willing to sacrifice their lives for another person? It is the ultimate sacrifice. Our text this Sunday points us toward the answer: No Greater Love because Love is the only motivation for that kind of sacrifice. We are created in the image of God and on Sunday we will see we are most like our creator when we love sacrificially other people. Jesus is the ultimate example of that love with his sacrificial death on the cross for our atonement, so that we do not have to live in eternal death, separated from God. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that, motivated by love, Jesus sacrificially died in our place so we would not have to face the wrath of God for our sins.

Jesus' death for us is primarily a redemptive act because through his death he accomplished something no one could ever accomplish on their own: the forgiveness of our sins. The death of Jesus is also an example of what it means to be fully human in that we are to live our lives in service to others which often includes sacrifice. Memorial Day reminds us of the thousands of Americans that have done that very thing for the liberty and freedom we enjoy today. Motivated by love of family and country, they died for the freedom of others. While we may not be called to sacrifice our life for others, part of the human experience is to love others sacrificially for their blessing. Currently our society is pushing individualism, causing any of us to weigh the question,  “what will be in it for me if I make this sacrifice?” As Christians, God calls us to put the needs of others before our own by willingly making sacrifices for those who can never repay the sacrifice. The Gospel, and Memorial Day reveal the love of God as fulfilled through His image bearers. There is no greater love than to make a sacrifice for others.