Memorial Day Prayer 2015 at West
Wharf, Madison, CT – Pastor Greg Scalzo
Invocation
delivered at the Madison, CT Memorial Day Ceremony at West Wharf
Almighty God, our Heavenly Father
We ask Your blessings upon this Memorial as we remember
those departed servants of our nation who guarded our freedoms and protected
our lives. We seek Your presence and Your comfort upon each person here, as our
hearts ache with the thought of their passing. And we humbly request that the
service they rendered would be valued by the future generations of our country,
that that which is noble and good would not pass away from our land.
As we place the wreath upon the water, we remember the
years of service these men and women gave and we remember their sacrifice—some
the sacrifice of life itself. And we
think of the words of Jesus in the gospel of John, “Greater love has no one
than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
With the rounds fired in the air, we salute their
bravery and dedication, remembering the teaching in Your Word which says,
“Behave courageously, and the Lord will be with the good." (2 Chron
19:11).
And as we hear the bugle’s voice echo back, we know
that we have the surety that these friends, loved ones, and devoted countrymen
are not gone, but are even now in Your merciful hands. In Christ we will see
them again. For You have promised a new
heaven and a new earth where You will dwell with us and be our God and “wipe every
tear from our eyes. There shall be no
more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former
things have passed away." (Rev 21:4)
Our Father in heaven, we thank You that you have
provided access to eternal life. And we
pray that You would give to us, who remain in this world, the love and courage
and faith to honor those who have gone before, that we would secure Your favor
and Your hand of blessing upon America.
I ask this as a servant of Him whose sacrifice and
death purchased life, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
© 2015 Gregory J. Scalzo