The readers may learn out of our Institutions what profit we reap by the ascension of Christ. Notwithstanding, because it is one of the chiefest points of our faith, therefore doth Luke endeavor more diligently to prove the same; yea, rather, the Lord himself meant to put the same out of all doubt, when as he hath ascended so manifestly, and hath confirmed the certainty of the same by other circumstances. For, if so be it he had vanished away secretly, then might the disciples have doubted what was become of him; but now, sith that they, being in so plain a place, saw him taken up with whom they had been conversant, whom also they heard speak even now, whom they beheld with their eyes, whom also they see taken out of their sight by a cloud, there is no cause why they should doubt whither he was gone. Furthermore, the angels are there also to bear witness of the same. And it was needful that the history should have been set down so diligently for our cause, that we may know assuredly, that although the Son of God appear nowhere upon earth, yet doth he live in the heavens. And this seemeth to be the reason why the cloud did overshadow him, before such time as he did enter into his celestial glory; that his disciples being content with their measure might cease to inquire any further. And we are taught by them that our mind is not able to ascend so high as to take a full view of the glory of Christ; therefore, let this cloud be a mean to restrain our boldness, as was the smoke which was continually before the door of the tabernacle in the time of the law.

–Commentary on Acts

Today we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven.

(‘The Ascension of Christ’ by Rembrandt, 1636) pic.twitter.com/cQYmkrPMD6

— Amy Balog ن (@AmyEBalog) May 18, 2023

O Lord Jesus Christ, who after thy resurrection didst manifestly appear to thine apostles, and in their sight didst ascend into heaven to prepare a place for us: Grant that, being risen with thee, we may lift up our hearts continually to seek thee where thou art, and never cease to serve thee faithfully here on earth; until at last, when thou comest again, thou shalt receive us unto thyself; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

–Frederick B. Macnutt

It's Ascension Day, commemorating the Christian belief of the bodily ascension of Jesus into heaven. Our MS Dd.4.17, a 14th-century Book of Hours probably made in the East Midlands, has a great image of Jesus' feet about to disappear into a cloud. #ascensionday pic.twitter.com/hTwXD0gQqZ

— Cambridge UL Special Collections (@theULSpecColl) May 29, 2025

The remedy for unprofitable spiritual stargazing lies in a Christian theology of history, an understanding of the order of events in the divine programme. First, Jesus returned to heaven (Ascension). Secondly, the Holy Spirit came (Pentecost). Thirdly, the church goes out to witness (Mission). Fourthly, Jesus will come back (Parousia). Whenever we forget one of these events, or put them in the wrong sequence, confusion reigns. We need especially to remember that between the ascension and the Parousia, the disappearance and the reappearance of Jesus, there stretches a period of unknown length which is to be filled with the church’s world-wide, Spirit-empowered witness to him. We need to hear the implied message of the angels: ‘You have seen him go. You will see him come. But between that going and coming there must be another. The Spirit must come, and you must go—into the world for Christ.’

–John R W Stott, The Message of Acts:To the ends of the earth (Downers Grove, Il.: InterVarsity Academic, 1990), p.2

'While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple blessing God'
Luke 24: 51-53#AscensionDay pic.twitter.com/sjWDMebqKS

— Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) May 29, 2025

Ascension theology turns at this point to the Eucharist, for in celebrating the eucharist the church professes to know how the divine presents itself in our time, and how the question of faithfulness is posed. Eucharistically, the church acknowledges that Jesus has heard and has answered the upward call; that, like Moses, he has ascended into that impenetrable cloud overhanging the mountain. Down below, rumours of glory emanate from the elders, but the master himself is nowhere to be seen. He is no longer with his people in the same way he used to be. Yet he is with them, in the Spirit.

–Douglas Farrow, Ascension Theology (New York: T and T Clark, 2011), p. 64

The Ascension, Ford Maddox Brown, c. 1844 pic.twitter.com/jTHHHU0dKR

— Solas (@solas_na_greine) October 27, 2024

The angels speak to the disciples, explaining their joy at Christ’s return and what it means for heaven and earth. But then the poem turns from narrative to reflection, following, in its most famous section, Gregory the Great’s exposition in a homily on the Ascension of the ‘leaps of Christ’:

Hence it is that Solomon has put into the mouth of the Church the words: Behold, He cometh! leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.

These hills are his lofty and noble achievements. “Behold, He cometh leaping upon the mountains.”

When He came to redeem us, He came, if I may so say, in leaps. My dearly beloved brethren, would you know what His leaps were?

From heaven he leapt into the womb of the Virgin, from the womb into the manger, from the manger on to the Cross, from the Cross into the grave, and from the grave up to heaven.

Lo, how the Truth made manifest in the Flesh did leap for our sakes, that He might draw us to run after Him for this end did He rejoice, as a strong man to run a race.

Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, it behoves us in heart and mind thither to ascend, where we believe Him to have already ascended bodily.

Christ is presented as a wheeling bird, moving with ease between the heavens and the earth:

Swa se fæla fugel flyges cunnode;
hwilum engla eard up gesohte,
modig meahtum strang, þone maran ham,
hwilum he to eorþan eft gestylde,
þurh gæstes giefe grundsceat sohte,
wende to worulde. Bi þon se witga song:
“He wæs upp hafen engla fæðmum
in his þa miclan meahta spede,
heah ond halig, ofer heofona þrym.”

So the beautiful bird ventured into flight.
Now he sought the home of the angels,
that glorious country, bold and strong in might;
now he swung back to earth again,
sought the ground by grace of the Spirit,
returned to the world. Of this the prophet sang:
“He was lifted up in the arms of angels
in the great abundance of his powers,
high and holy, above the glory of the heavens.”

Read it all.

'So the beautiful bird ventured into flight.
Now he sought the home of the angels above,
that glorious country, bold and strong in power.'

For Ascension Day, a wonderful Anglo-Saxon poem about Christ's 'leap' into heaven: https://t.co/MfwI6d6GOC pic.twitter.com/yVtFrGbIdc

— Eleanor Parker (@ClerkofOxford) May 29, 2025

lmighty God, whose only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven: May our hearts and minds also there ascend, and with him continually dwell; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Today is Ascension Day, the 40th day of Easter, marking Christ's Ascension into Heaven. In 15th Century glass at East Harling, Norfolk, Mary and the disciples gather to watch his nail-scarred feet disappear into the sky, leaving his footprints on the mountain top. pic.twitter.com/3PqbZ8aJTe

— Simon Knott (@SimoninSuffolk) May 29, 2025

Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is thy name in all the earth!

Thou whose glory above the heavens is chanted
by the mouth of babes and infants,
thou hast founded a bulwark because of thy foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,
the moon and the stars which thou hast established;
what is man that thou art mindful of him,
and the son of man that thou dost care for him?

–Psalm 8:1-4

NGC 6559 is a very beautiful star-bearing region located about 5,000 light years distant in Sagittarius. Colourful and displaying a rich tapestry of diverse nebulosity, the region is sadly overlooked in favour of the more imaged Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae. 📷 Adam Block #NGC6559 pic.twitter.com/nheTQSwtk3

— Lee-Anne Gibbon (@LeeAnneGibbon1) May 25, 2025

….the bridegroom rejoices to revisit the heart’s chamber when He finds it adorned with fruits and decked with flowers””that is, meditating on the mystery of His Passion or on the glory of His Resurrection.

The tokens of the Passion we recognize as the fruitage of the ages of the past, appearing in the fullness of time during the reign of sin and death (Gal. 4.4). But it is the glory of the Resurrection, in the new springtime of regenerating grace, that the fresh flowers of the later age come forth, whose fruit shall be given without measure at the general resurrection, when time shall be no more. And so it is written, ‘The winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth’ (Cant. 2.11 f); signifying that summer has come back with Him who dissolves icy death into the spring of a new life and says, ‘Behold, I make all things new’ (Rev. 21.5). His Body sown in the grave has blossomed in the Resurrection (I Cor. 15.42); and in like manner our valleys and fields which were barren or frozen, as if dead, glow with reviving life and warmth.

The Father of Christ who makes all things new, is well pleased with the freshness of those flowers and fruits, and the beauty of the field which breathes forth such heavenly fragrance; and He says in benediction, ‘See, the smell of My Son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed’ (Gen. 27.27). Blessed to overflowing, indeed, since of His fullness have all we received (John 1.16). But the Bride may come when she pleases and gather flowers and fruits therewith to adorn the inmost recesses of her conscience; that the Bridegroom when He cometh may find the chamber of her heart redolent with perfume.

So it behoves us, if we would have Christ for a frequent guest, to fill our hearts with faithful meditations on the mercy He showed in dying for us, and on His mighty power in rising again from the dead. To this David testified when he sang, ”˜God spake once, and twice I have also heard the same; that power belongeth unto God; and that Thou, Lord, art merciful (Ps. 62.11f). And surely there is proof enough and to spare in that Christ died for our sins and rose again for our justification, and ascended into heaven that He might protect us from on high, and sent the Holy Spirit for our comfort. Hereafter He will come again for the consummation of our bliss. In His Death He displayed His mercy, in His Resurrection His power; both combine to manifest His glory.

–Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), On Loving God, Chapter III

"Tell us, Mary: say what thou didst see upon the way.
The tomb the Living did enclose;
I saw Christ's glory as he rose!" (from the Easter Sequence)#EasterAtHome
BL Add 49598; Benedictional of Æthelwold; 963-984; England, S; ff.51v, 52v @BLMedieval pic.twitter.com/c8JJU8LvQG

— Ennius (@red_loeb) April 12, 2020

From here: Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store,
Though foolishly he lost the same,
Decaying more and more,
Till he became
Most poore:
With thee
O let me rise
As larks, harmoniously,
And sing this day thy victories:
Then shall the fall further the flight in me.

My tender age in sorrow did beginne
And still with sicknesses and shame.
Thou didst so punish sinne,
That I became
Most thinne.
With thee
Let me combine,
And feel thy victorie:
For, if I imp my wing on thine,
Affliction shall advance the flight in me.

Benvenuto Tisi (Garofalo), The Resurrection of Christ, c.1520 pic.twitter.com/p55TaMgKOH

— Solas (@solas_na_greine) November 18, 2024

The elders of the Hastings church — about 40 miles north of the Kansas state line — posted ads to fill the position.

They contacted preaching schools in Colorado and Texas.

They reached out to Christian universities.

Few candidates applied. Even fewer had ties to Churches of Christ.

“Before Russ came … I’m guessing we had at least 30 applicants,” elder Everett Hinton said. “Times have changed so much now.”

And it’s not a matter of money.

“We’re very well situated financially,” Hinton added. “The reason we don’t have a full-time preacher is because we can’t find one, not because we can’t afford one.”

The congregation has relied on York University — located about 60 miles away and associated with Churches of Christ — to supply speakers on Sunday.

Garrett Best, chair of York’s Bible and Ministry department, is one of several faculty on rotation to make the two-hour round trip.

“Their church is really the archetype of Midwestern churches,” said Best, minister for the Lifewalk Church of Christ in York. “They had 125 people 15 years ago, and they have just declined since.”

Read it all.

A small Nebraska lost its minister nearly two years ago and — despite solid finances — has been unable to fill the position. Meanwhile, a university 60 miles away has supplied Sunday speakers. https://t.co/fAnU9sEIrk via @christianchron @Travelers_Lane

— Religion Unplugged (@ReligionMag) May 23, 2025

Let the first rule of right prayer then be, to have our heart and mind framed as becomes those who are entering into converse with God. This we shall accomplish in regard to the mind, if, laying aside carnal thoughts and cares which might interfere with the direct and pure contemplation of God, it not only be wholly intent on prayer, but also, as far as possible, be borne and raised above itself. I do not here insist on a mind so disengaged as to feel none of the gnawings of anxiety; on the contrary, it is by much anxiety that the fervor of prayer is inflamed. Thus we see that the holy servants of God betray great anguish, not to say solicitude, when they cause the voice of complaint to ascend to the Lord from the deep abyss and the jaws of death. What I say is, that all foreign and extraneous cares must be dispelled by which the mind might be driven to and fro in vague suspense, be drawn down from heaven, and kept groveling on the earth. When I say it must be raised above itself, I mean that it must not bring into the presence of God any of those things which our blind and stupid reason is wont to devise, nor keep itself confined within the little measure of its own vanity, but rise to a purity worthy of God.

–Institutes 3.20

#OTD 1564
Death at Geneva of John Calvin, reformer and theologian. pic.twitter.com/Msi5Y8Zajv

— David Hacker, Sufficientist (@dhacker29) May 27, 2025

Sovereign and holy God, who didst bring John Calvin from a study of legal systems to understand the godliness of thy divine laws as revealed in Scripture: Fill us with a like zeal to teach and preach thy Word, that the whole world may come to know thy Son Jesus Christ, the true Word and Wisdom; who with thee and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, ever one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

“The music must not turn the church into an audience enjoying the music but into a congregation singing the Lord's praises in His presence.”

-John Calvin pic.twitter.com/tOppgwmXF5

— Reformed1563 (@Heidel_bro1563) May 19, 2025

God the Father bless me, Christ guard me, the Holy Spirit enlighten me, all the days of my life!  The Lord be the defender and guardian of my soul and my body, now and ever, and world without end!  Amen.  The right hand of the Lord preserve me always to old age!  The grace of Christ perpetually defend me from the enemy!  Direct, Lord, my heart into the way of peace.  Lord God, haste Thee to deliver me, make haste to help me, O Lord.

–Frederick B. Macnutt, The prayer manual for private devotions or public use on divers occasions: Compiled from all sources ancient, medieval, and modern (A.R. Mowbray, 1951)

Flying in for Wednesday 😁 pic.twitter.com/QI4fJ81okd

— Veronica in the Fens 🧚🏼‍♀️ My Heart in Nature (@VeronicaJoPo) May 28, 2025

Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects. Eli”²jah was a man of like nature with ourselves and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit.

–James 5:13-18

The North York Moors 💜 pic.twitter.com/pjT8ULR8dM

— Visit North Yorkshire (@visitnorthyork) May 28, 2025

The Suffragan Bishop of Islington in the diocese of London, Dr Richard (Ric) Thorpe, is to be the next Archbishop of Melbourne in the Anglican Church of Australia.

He succeeds the Rt Revd Philip Freier, who retired in February.

Dr Thorpe was elected by the Melbourne Diocesan Synod on Friday. He and three other candidates were proposed to the Synod by the Board of Nominators, made up of elected clergy and lay representatives (News, 16 May).

The other candidates, all from Melbourne diocese, were eliminated in two rounds of voting. They were: the Executive Director of CMS Victoria, the Revd Dr Wei-Han Kuan; the Vicar of St John’s, Diamond Creek, the Ven. Dr Tim Johnson; and the Vicar of Deep Creek Anglican Church, the Ven. Megan Curlis-Gibson.

Read it all.

The Suffragan Bishop of Islington in the diocese of London, Dr Richard (Ric) Thorpe, is to be the next Archbishop of Melbourne in the Anglican Church of Australia https://t.co/vPxaaWAHkI

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) May 27, 2025

The May 25-26 strike is now the second largest combined strike of the war, after Russian forces conducted the largest combined strike on the night of May 24 to 25. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched nine Kh-101 cruise missiles from the airspace over Saratov Oblast and 355 Shahed and decoy drones from the directions of Bryansk, Kursk, and Oryol cities; Millerovo, Rostov Oblast; Shatalovo, Smolensk Oblast; Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Krasnodar Krai; and occupied Cape Chauda, Crimea.[1] The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ukrainian forces shot down all nine Kh-101 missiles and 233 drones over northern, eastern, southern, western, and central Ukraine and that 55 drones were “lost.” Ukrainian officials reported that the Russian strikes targeted Chernihiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Kyiv oblasts.[2] Ukrainian officials stated that the strikes caused civilian casualties and damaged civilian infrastructure and private residences.

Read it all.

NEW: Russian forces conducted one of their largest drone and missile strikes of the war against Ukraine on the night of May 25 to 26 after three nights of record strikes. ⬇️(1/3)

The May 25-26 strike is now the second largest combined strike of the war after Russian forces… pic.twitter.com/MnYt11RSKA

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) May 27, 2025

From there:

So, when you take the Bread and the Wine, which the Minister of Christ has consecrated (that is to say, set apart for this sacred purpose), what shall you think? what shall you believe? The Bread is in itself just bread still, the Wine is just wine. But because the Lord has told you to take them ‘in remembrance of Him,’ and because you who take them humbly believe in Him, therefore, that simple Bread, that small drought of Wine, speak straight from Him to you. They are like the very sound of His Voice, saying: ‘All is true, all is yours. It is no dream that I died for you, and that you are saved by Me, any more than your eating and drinking is a dream.’ They are like the very grasp of His Hand taking hold of your hand, and meaning: ‘We are one, poor believing sinner. I have joined you, I have clasped you, to Myself. As surely as you touch and taste that Bread and Wine, so surely you, who believe in Me, are one with Me.”

Join me on #TheLeadersNotebook as I reflect on the Last Supper in Matthew 26. Communion is not just remembrance; it’s renewal. Through the sacred elements, the Holy Spirit ministers grace, healing, and restoration to the soul.
🎧 https://t.co/Cd6ZyUvMJp pic.twitter.com/Lqbu8m6J4p

— Dr. Mark Rutland (@DrMarkRutland) May 27, 2025

“What do we hope for as Christians? What is the content of the Christian hope? Paul says in Romans 15, this wonderful verse, verse 13, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope.

So, Christians are supposed to be people who abound in hope. And my question is, what is the content of that hope? We are talking, brothers and sisters, about heaven.

And since we’re going to be spending eternity there, it might be interesting if we give it a few moments of our time….”

You may listen directly here:

Or you may download it there.

Design for Christ Enthroned in the Heavenly Jerusalem, in the American Church in Rome. Attributed to Thomas Matthews Rooke (British, 1842–1942). Medium: pencil, watercolor and bodycolor heightened with gold on paper. Credit: Artnet. pic.twitter.com/nUafq2XaHu

— Archaeology & Art (@archaeologyart) January 17, 2025

God our ruler and guide, we honor thee for Queen Bertha and King Ethelbert of Kent who, gently persuaded by the truth of thy Gospel, encouraged others by their godly example to follow freely the path of discipleship; and we pray that we, like them, may show the goodness of thy Word not only by our words but in our lives; through Jesus Christ, who with thee and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

I’m a great advocate of Queen Bertha, without her persuading her husband Ethelbert to receive Augustine Canterbury would not be the city it is today or in history and literature. No Augustine’s Abbey, no martyrdom of Thomas Becket and no Chaucer’s Pilgrim’s Tales. pic.twitter.com/Suqel6isTu

— Councillor Connie Nolan (@CT1Connie) March 13, 2023

O Almighty God, who hast created the earth for man, and man for thy glory: Mercifully hear the supplications of thy people, and be mindful of thy covenant; that both the earth may yield her increase, and the good seed of thy Word may bring forth abundantly, to the glory of thy holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Good day pic.twitter.com/kgTaar7qJK

— Aleksandar Mitrovic (@Aleksan52094351) May 27, 2025

He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation.”

And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ”˜Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ”˜Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

–Luke 11:1-13

Voor vandaag de zon achter de wolken en regenachtig. Fijne dinsdag😀 #zonsondergang pic.twitter.com/zcQ7K7rwQp

— Tjark Dieterman (@DietermanTjark) May 27, 2025

Lyrics–

On your maypole green
See the winding Morris men
Angry Alfie, Bill and Ken
Waving hankies, sticks and books
All the earthen roofs

Standing at the crease
The batsman takes a look around
The boys are fielding on home ground
The steeple sharp against the blue
When I think of you

Sam and Andy
Jack and John
Charlie, Martin
Jamie, Ron
Harry, Stephen
Will and Don
Matthew, Michael
On and on

We will remember them
Remember them
Remember them

We will remember them
Remember them
Remember them

Time has slipped away
The Summer sky to Autumn yields
A haze of smoke across the fields
Let’s sup and fight another round
And walk the stubbled ground

When November brings
The poppies on Remembrance Day
When the vicar comes to say
May God bless them every one
Lest we forget our sons

We will remember them
Remember them
Remember them

We will remember them
Remember them
Remember them

We will remember them
Remember them
Remember them

We will remember them
Remember them
Remember them.

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, in whose hands are the living and the dead; We give thee thanks for all those thy servants who have laid down their lives in the service of our country. Grant to them thy mercy and the light of thy presence, that the good work which thou hast begun in them may be perfected; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. Amen.

"Without memory, there is no culture.
Without memory, there would be no civilization, no future."
Elie Wiesel

Artist:
Brisa
"Poppies on a Cliff"#MemorialDay2025 pic.twitter.com/Md65s5EJaQ

— Genevieve Boiko (@Gen_Boiko) May 26, 2025

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Read it all.

On Memorial Day we honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. pic.twitter.com/ZcLlN4TsZw

— BWRiverkeeper (@BWRiverkeeper) May 26, 2025

Herewith the NBC blurb-‘Marine body bearers are a specialized team of men and women who serve as pallbearers at funerals and memorial services honoring fallen service members.  NBC News’ Courtney Kube got a behind-the-scenes look at how they train and pay tribute to troops who made the ultimate sacrifice.’

O Lord our God, whose name only is excellent and thy praise above heaven and earth: We give thee high praise and hearty thanks for all those who counted not their lives dear unto themselves but laid them down for their friends; beseeching thee to give them a part and a lot in those good things which thou has prepared for all those whose names are written in the Book of Life; and grant to us, that having them always in remembrance, we may imitate their faithfulness and with them inherit the new name which thou has promised to them that overcome; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Who are you remembering this Memorial Day? pic.twitter.com/8gGHO4BhvA

— Arlington National Cemetery (@ArlingtonNatl) May 26, 2025

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

–Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)

In thanksgiving for all those who gave their lives for this country in years past, and for those who continue to serve; KSH.

P.S. The circumstances which led to this remarkable poem are well worth remembering:

It is a lasting legacy of the terrible battle in the Ypres salient in the spring of 1915 and to the war in general. McCrea had spent seventeen days treating injured men — Canadians, British, French, and Germans in the Ypres salient. McCrae later wrote: “I wish I could embody on paper some of the varied sensations of that seventeen days… Seventeen days of Hades! At the end of the first day if anyone had told us we had to spend seventeen days there, we would have folded our hands and said it could not have been done.” The next day McCrae witnessed the burial of a good friend, Lieut. Alexis Helmer. Later that day, sitting on the back of an ambulance parked near the field dressing station, McCrea composed the poem. A young NCO, delivering mail, watched him write it. When McCrae finished writing, he took his mail from the soldier and, without saying a word, handed his pad to the Sergeant-major. Cyril Allinson was moved by what he read: “The poem was exactly an exact description of the scene in front of us both. He used the word blow in that line because the poppies actually were being blown that morning by a gentle east wind. It never occurred to me at that time that it would ever be published. It seemed to me just an exact description of the scene.” Colonel McCrae was dissatisfied with the poem, and tossed it away. A fellow officer retrieved it and sent it to newspapers in England. The Spectator, in London, rejected it, but Punch published it on 8 December 1915. For his contributions as a surgeon, the main street in Wimereaux is named “Rue McCrae”.

“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” – G.K. Chesterton

#MemorialDay pic.twitter.com/r6E9PGiSqi

— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) May 27, 2024

O King and Judge of the nations: We remember before you with grateful hearts the men and women of our armed forces, who in the day of decision ventured much for the liberties we now enjoy; grant that we may not rest until all the people of this land share the benefits of true freedom and gladly accept its disciplines; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, now and for ever. Amen.

Today, we honor the courageous men and women who gave their lives in service to our Nation.

We will never forget their sacrifice, and we will continue to carry on their legacy, today and always. #MemorialDay pic.twitter.com/xDND0Fn6Ua

— U.S. Army (@USArmy) May 26, 2025

O Lord our God, who by thy Son Jesus Christ didst call thine apostles and send them forth to preach the Gospel to the nations: We bless thy holy name for thy servant Augustine, first Archbishop of Canterbury, whose labors in propagating thy Church among the English people we commemorate today; and we pray that all whom thou dost call and send may do thy will, and bide thy time, and see thy glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

26 May 605, Augustine, first #ArchbishopofCanterbury, died. Sent as a missionary by Pope Gregory in 597, he landed in Thanet & persuaded the Anglo-Saxons of Kent to become Christians. He founded @No1Cathedral & @KingsCanterbury where I was educated. #churchplanting @McCrimmons pic.twitter.com/FzNSWXW15o

— Revd Nicholas Pye (@RevdPye) May 26, 2025

O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Blessed #memorialday2025 ‘greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’ #memorialday #lowcountrylife #southcarolina @summervillesc ⁦@EdPiotrowski⁩ pic.twitter.com/oU0OSQ8xlI

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) May 26, 2025