A Christmas Sacrifice


Georgia National Cemetery (12/15/2018)
Wreaths Across America
Canton, GA

I was asked on Facebook why Ronald J Baylis did not have a wreath on his stone. As you can see by the Star of David, he was of the Jewish faith and unless specifically requested by the family, Christmas wreaths were not placed at their head stones.

While is breaks by heart that Jewish people today deny the Messiah born into a Jewish household, what made me stop in my tracks was seeing a blank stone in front of all the others. This was the only one I saw like that in the National Cemetery. It too did not have a wreath, although it probably was due to oversight rather than religious objection.

My mind immediately went to a place of honor and respect for all who died serving our country yet either did not come home or whose remains were never identified. My dad was a veteran of the Korean War and he does not talk about it. Most WW II vets were the same. They did not serve for recognition but for their country's freedom. They preferred to remain nameless.

There is a Garden Tomb in Jerusalem that once held the body of our Savior for three days. We celebrate Christmas because there was One who came to earth to die for the whole world's freedom. He led the angelic host of heaven's armies, but on that first Christmas mourning He was just a baby like any other... except he was God incarnate. And unlike the human remains buried at Georgia National Cemetery, His tomb is empty.

Although Jesus name is often taken in vain by those who are thoughtless or unbelievers, because of His obedience and sacrifice, God the Father will make sure that Jesus' name is held in the highest of esteem and honor for all of eternity. The Bible says:

God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ~Philippians 2:9-11

Let's not forget the Christ of CHRISTmas this year. Let every wreath be a reminder of why He came to earth in the first place. It was for freedom and salvation from our enemy the devil.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. ~Galatians 5:1

But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ~Galatians 5:13

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover or pretext for evil, but as servants of God. ~1 Peter 2:16

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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