\Rev. Avedis Boynerian graciously forwards me his Sunday sermon ahead of time. This Sunday May 24, 2026, Rev. Avedis Boynerian’s sermon pertained to Memorial Day, which is a solemn federal holiday dedicated to honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces, and also to remember and honor our dear family members, relatives, friends who have departed from us for good. Vaհe H Apelian
“The need for comfort
On this Memorial Day weekend, we gather to remember those who gave their lives in service to this nation, who left behind their families, dreams, and futures so that we might live in freedom and peace.
Memorial Day reminds us that freedom is not free.
Memorial Day comes with a price - with an expensive price.
Jesus said: “(Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).
The greatest way to honor those who gave their lives is to live lives worthy of their sacrifice—to pursue security, peace, justice and love of neighbor.
So today we remember the fallen and honor their memory and pray for grieving families, for veterans, and for peace in our world.
The loss of a loved one is probably the most difficult time in life.
I lost my mother when she was in her early sixties.
I lost my brother when he was 42 years old.
I tell you. These were not easy times for my father, my siblings and me.
On Memorial Day Sunday we grieve for
Grief is never comfortable for any of us. Sometimes it can seem unbearable.
Please, listen: The Bible does not say, “Not to grieve.”
It says, “If a Christian dies, we do not grieve as those who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13).
That means we have hope today!
Knowing that our loved ones are in heaven and we can see them again.
They were men and women, who loved God, loved their country and loved their neighbor.
They trusted Jesus, while they were alive, and now Jesus has embraced them in heaven.
Jesus, in His very first sermon - Sermon on the Mount, made promises to all who have faith and believe in Him.
He said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).
What an assurance Jesus makes to us in our mourning: He comforts us.
How do we do justice to these individuals, who meant so much to us?
It seems like they left us too soon.
Yet, they impacted us.
They built their lives around the church.
(Yes, it’s never a good time to lose a loved one. But it’s never a bad time to go to heaven either.
Today we have mixed feelings.
We sorrow at the thought of not having them with us and the joy that their suffering is over.
I am confident that God understands what we are feeling and are going through.
The Bible says, “Jesus was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3).
I am confident that in our own ways, at times like this, we all need the same things. We all need comfort, faith, peace and hope.
The truth is: all of those things are found in Jesus!
Jesus said, (“God has sent me to bind up the broken hearted and to comfort all who mourn” (Isaiah 61:1).
He also said, “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13).
The apostle Paul was a man of many sorrows and each time, Jesus saw him through.
Paul would say gratefully, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles” (2 Corinthians 1:3).
God understands the grief we feel at the loss of someone we loved.
God knows what it’s like to lose a loved one.
He lost His Son undeservedly at the age of 33!
But, God does more than just understand us.
He shares and bears our sorrow.
That is so beautifully illustrated in the story of Lazarus.
Lazarus, Jesus’ friend, had died.
How many times his sisters had thought during his illness: “If Jesus would only come before death arrives.”
As Jesus arrives, He is met by Mary, one of Lazarus’ sisters.
She says to Jesus, “It’s too late. My brother is dead.”
Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25-26).
So, Jesus is taken to the tomb of His friend.
As He arrives at the grave, we are told that “Jesus wept.”
(Seeing everyone’s grief and sorrow, Jesus could not but weep.
Jesus was so moved by their grief and sorrow.
Just like He’s moved by our grief and our sorrow today.
Let me end with this story.
A wise Christian mother explained death best.
Her son developed a fatal disease which progressed quickly.
At first, he was unable to go to school. Then, he was unable to go outside to play and finally, he was confined to his bed.
One day the question his mother feared most came.
“Mommy, what’s it like to die?”
Though she was prepared herself for that moment, but she could not handle it, when it came.
She left the room.
There in the bathroom she prayed for strength and wisdom.
When she came back into the room she said, “Honey, remember when you were little and you would fall asleep in the car?
The next morning when you woke up you would be in your own bed.
Do you know how you got there?
Your father came and lifted you up and gently carried you to your own bed in your own room.
That’s what it’s like to die.”
Yes, your loved one fell asleep and God, our Heavenly Father, lifted them up and gently carried them to heaven.
If Jesus were here today, He would repeat something He said, “Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Let us “Cast all our anxieties on Jesus, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7): “"Cast all your care upon Him; for he cares for you."”
