Remembering Who, What and Why

Two days ago we remembered mothers, ours and others. It's good to remember but not always easy. We're a hodgepodge of memories and mixed emotions. We're like a bookshelf laden with words, bound by time and memories. Stacks of words, some better left unsaid or written, along with others we wish we'd said or written before it was too late.

So, last Sunday I taught Adult Sunday School. My theme was about remembering, and not just mothers. The word remember, according to one source, appears 352 in the Bible. For example, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." (Exodus 20:8) And in the New Testament, the thief on the cross uses some of the last breath in his broken body to croak, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." (Luke 23:42)

And then there is the unimaginable promise from Jesus, that when we confess our sins, "I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins." (Hebrews 8:12, NLT) It's not that God's old and forgetful. It's God's choice to see us as forgiven. However, we don't forget so easily the good or the bad. When we least expect it, a memory shows up and sends us laughing or weeping. Sometimes puzzling over how something could have happened and how to mend it.

Well, like someone shared in Sunday School, Jesus knows we need forgiveness and healing. So Sundays we are given the opportunity to come forward to receive forgiveness and the Eucharist. Jesus says when we eat the bread and drink the cup to remember. What are we to remember? Jesus and what he did for us and why. And we're to remember who we need to be reconciled with or our need of forgiveness.

What we remember matters. The children of Israel swallowed manna and grumbled about their boring, though heaven-sent, daily diet. "We remember the fish we ate in Egypt free of charge; the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic." ((Numbers 11:15) Gotta admit that sounds a lot more tasty than manna. But it shows how sometimes our cravings distort reality. It's the "free of charge" part. They were slaves in Egypt. It's a challenge to someone my age to resist "the good old days" over what really was and appreciate what is good about today.

So, what are we to remember on this 13th day of May? Tonight when you crawl into bed, I suggest you and I do what Jud did during some of the darkest times in his life and ours. Jud chose to remember God. "On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings."" (Psalm 63:6-7, NIV) And, though neither Jud nor I kept our neighbors awake with our bedtime singing, Fernando Ortego helped our spirits sing along as we recalled God's faithfulness, mercy, presence, love and grace.

Well, it's time to wrap this up. You and I have other matters to tend to. But while we go about living life, remember, we are not alone, unloved or forgotten. Jesus said, "I know my sheep and I call them by name."(John 10:3) Not, "Hey, ewe over there!" Rather, "come along Mark, Beth, Kali, John, Chris." Jesus loves, knows, remembers us. Imagine that!