Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. While it has unclear origins, Memorial Day was officially proclaimed in May 1868 by General John Logan, a Mexican-American War and a Civil War veteran. In the aftermath of the war between the north and the south, Logan wrote: Today, the 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost ever city, village, and hamlet church-yard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.

By using two short examples later in the sermon, we're going to consider how this two-war veteran must have singled out Jesus' call for unity and appropriated it so that, as Jesus prays, we can be sent into the world (in verse eighteen) and be made holy by God's truth (in verse nineteen).

Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, but it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day except to say that, three years after the close of the Civil War, the first official Memorial Day was held on May 30, as Logan specified, at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. General and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, Congressman James A. Garfield and other officials delivered speeches from the veranda of the Arlington mansion, the former home of Gen. Robert E. Lee.  Later, members of Grand Army of the Republic and children from the Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphan Home placed flowers on the graves of all the Union and Confederate soldiers while praying and singing hymns.

Following World War I, our Memorial Day commemoration expanded to honor American servicemen in all branches of the military, killed in any war or battle. Many states observe separate Confederate Memorial Days, however. For instance, Mississippi observes it on the last Monday of April, Alabama on the fourth Monday of April, Georgia on April 26, and Louisiana and Tennessee on June 3.

"Now wait a minute," some may be thinking. "What's this? As one nation, we still can't come together completely to observe one Memorial Day? Even on a day of remembrance for our fallen soldiers, the United States isn't united?"

In the prayer we've heard in scripture this morning, Jesus, the son speaks to God, his father, about the unity. This mention of unity is a small yet significant part of the prayer you heard from the Gospel lesson today. Jesus, as we've heard toward the end of verse 11, prays that we may be united.  Read along with me the latter half of the eleventh verse by beginning with the words Holy Father. Again, find the words Holy Father in the middle of verse eleven and read to the end of that verse with me. " Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are."

It may never be possible for humanity to be as united (or as symbiotic) as God, the father, is with Jesus, the son, and General John Logan must have not only considered but also understood the necessity of unity more than nearly all of us can because, like those soldiers around him, he saw brother fighting brother during the North and the South's deadly division.

In the horrors and hopefully everyday miracles he must have seen in and around the battlefields, Logan wrote something important we lift up as a UCC church with its beloved ties in Congregationalism.  As I repeat the quote shared a few minutes ago, listen for how Logan invites us into unity.

"Today, the 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost ever city, village, and hamlet church-yard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit."

Logan writes that no ceremony is to be prescribed, or set. There's no 'one way' the American people are commanded—or even called—to observe. Truly, the decisions of ceremony, as Logan requests, rest with the people.

Logan recognizes we're not all going to be the same. Unity doesn't mean we all drive the same car, make the same income, think the same thoughts, or agree on how to worship. And we never will be.

But, that portion of prayer in scripture is answered: we are unified. Here in this sanctuary which was standing before Logan gave his address, take a look around you. See your neighbor. With our love and our commitment to Christ, we are unified in our diversity. What links and unites us is we are different in how we hear Christ, how we celebrate Christ, and how we embrace Christ.

Here's the good news. With obvious diversity around us, we can still be one. We can still agree to disagree; we can also agree that these words from the Gospel of John are the goal—that we become one with Christ who, in turn, is one with our Lord God.

Let's hit the sermon title now. Remembrance this weekend means we can remember that we are, despite differences, united with Christ as Christ is united with God.

If we think about it, God is so big and so vast that our own perspectives and viewpoints can't possibly come close to getting the whole picture. We should see God in the diversity—racially, socio-economically, and even politically. Gain from others, even when that gain doesn't go in the direction, or flow, we'd like it too.

Since considerable time this morning has been spent on the Civil War, consider this.  It's the first of two examples I'll share before we close. Two Americans, fighting yards apart, are both praying for the outcome they'd like, which, obviously, is victory. Only both of these Americans—like every American—is different.

We tend to think, especially in battle, that Americans are united at least in the trenches of warfare. Yet one is wearing a gray uniform for the South, the other a blue uniform for the North. In the end, only one of the two has his prayers answered.

This unity that Jesus prays to God for allows us to have perspectives that are plural, and through the ever-present Holy Spirit, we can, through Jesus' prayer, have this unity—and we can have this unity when we understand that some of our prayers aren't answered. Sorrowful events and circumstances may make us feel distances from a God who doesn't hear us, when, in fact, we really can't see the other side.  God, with Jesus, is bigger than we can imagine.

We can also have this unity when we listen to one another. God through the Holy Spirit is present when another person speaks, for whenever two or more are gathered, there is Christ. Listen for it. That's your call this morning. When two or more are gathered, listen for Christ. Claim unity in that we have one risen Savior.

Here's the second example. Recently, a minister, a musician and a choir muddied up the waters for a bit over a holiday music selection. Any choir can break down when it fails to hear and to see its different viewpoints and suggestions, some directly opposing other thoughts and suggestions. Let this scripture and these examples illustrate that disagreement is an opportunity for one to listen to another, not shut another off, or down.

Remember the sentiment Logan shared in the creation of this day. Listen to one another. Hear what someone is saying to you, and, in turn, let someone know what you're thinking. That's unity, and that's what Christ prayed for.

I will close with this poem written on September 1, 2001. The inspiration for this poem was a line in a song playing on the radio, to which the author, Lionel E. Deimel, says he was paying scant attention. The line was something about unity in a non-religious context. In light of General Logan's writing on unity and the creation of Memorial Day, Deimel's poem, particularly in its last stanza, is a plea for Christians to stop arguing about questions that can have no definitive answers and to get on with helping our neighbors embrace unity first with their diverse neighbors sitting near them today, and then, the world.

"The men who have guided the destiny of the United States have found the strength for their tasks by going to their knees. This private unity of public men and their God is an enduring source of reassurance for the people of America."

-- Lyndon B. Johnson, 36^thPresident (1963-69).