Remembering

Scripture instructs us to remember God, his laws, the Sabbath, and what he has done in the past. The Israelites were instructed to remember that God had delivered them from slavery to Egypt and to remember God's covenant with them. Christ's disciples were told that the Holy Spirit would help them to remember the things that Christ had said and done during his time on earth. Christians partake of the Eucharist to remember Jesus Christ, and what he did for them. Likewise, the New Testament encourages Christ's disciples to engage in self-reflection on a regular basis. Indeed, the word "remember" occurs one hundred and forty-eight times in the King James Version of the Bible (and that doesn't include the times when folks are instructed not to forget something)! Hence, we get the clear impression that memory and remembering are important to the Judeo-Christian God.

On this second anniversary of my father's death, I find myself remembering the past and thinking about these things. I remember his smile, his hugs, his tickling of myself and my brother when we were small, and - yes - I remember the mistakes that he made. I remember all of those things about him, and I miss him and remember the love that I felt for him. I remember too his mother and stepfather, my grandparents, the ones who raised my brother and me. In all of those memories, there is a mixture of gratitude, love, and regret over things that happened and didn't happen. Those memories also stir in me a desire to tell my own children and grandchildren about them and to try to be the very best father and grandfather that I can be for them now - to not repeat and perpetuate the mistakes and hurts of the past. In short, memory is a complex thing that evokes a complex mixture of thoughts and emotions.

I am also reminded that the Festival of the Dedication begins tonight at sundown. It is a remembrance and celebration of the rededication of the second Temple after the Maccabees defeated the Syrian Greeks, and the miracle of the oil in the lamp. It is a window on the past and future. It points to the restoration of the worship of the One True God, and the commencement of the reign of priest-kings! I am also reminded that the Gospel of John records Christ's celebration of this festival, and what he had to say on that occasion. He said: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one." (John 10:27-30) Yes, remembering can be a source of great comfort, reassurance, and hope.