Resurrection Letter No. 21: Memento. We Need to Remember.

Dear Good Shepherd and friends,

In a previous life, my wife and I watched a movie called Memento (2000). Here's the storyline: the movie is about the life of this individual named Leonard who suffers from an acute form of amnesia where his brain cannot store short-term memories. Throughout the movie, Leonard has to create ways to constantly remind himself of what he is doing, and who people around him are. Every moment is like a new "present" moment, because Leonard can't recall what just happened. Even though he knows his own name, and for the most part remembers his identity, he is always in a state of forgetting what's going on around him. Because he can't recall the past, he struggles to move forward. 

So to get on in life, Leonard would take polaroid pictures of nearly everything important to remember what he is doing, where he is going. As he would return home or to his car, the pictures served as a reminder of people in his life, of what he's supposed to do, who he can trust, where home is. The pictures help him remember so he can live and make it through the day.

We need remembering sometimes. It's easy to forget who we are, what we're supposed to be about, why we're doing what we're doing. I'm not just talking about forgetting why you went into the grocery store. I'm talking about forgetting the good purposes God made us for, forgetting how we best flourish as humans made in God's image, forgetting the infinite for the finite and getting lost in the immediate.

I find it particularly interesting and both brilliant and a bit counter-cultural that one of the recurring themes in the story of Scripture is "remember." And often the remembering has to do with remembering stories of what God has done. These stories are told and retold to help us see the present and future better, to remember where we're going and why we're here.

In the book of Hebrews in the New Testament, the writer appeals to stories of the past to help a struggling early Christian community. They're not sure how to move forward amid difficulty and persecution. To move ahead into something they cannot see, the writer tells them to look back, to remember the lives and stories of people who walked and suffered in faithfulness to God's future: Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Gideon, Samson, and others.  

Remembering gives them the vision and hope to look ahead and live. God was faithful to these people in the past. God will be faithful to you, as well. So, remember.

In the spirit of this idea, let me take a moment or two to capture a few snapshots to help you and me remember:

• You and I are prone to thinking that we are alone in our experiences. We are not. We are not made to go solo. It's not supposed to be you against the world. Remember: God created us for community and for one another. It It is not good for us to be alone, as God said in the creation story. Jesus did not bring forgiveness and salvation for just individuals; he created a community of salvation. The gospel is intended to restore and unite people, to turn our eyes outward to share our needs and meet the needs of others. Lean into that. There's no shame or weakness in needing others. We're stronger together. And be the reminder for someone who might need it.
• Your life and the lives of the people you love around you are treacherously short. We are prone to thinking that the next day is certain. It is not. Remember, says the Psalmist, that our lives are just a breath, a wisp. Each moment is a gift. When you're in the thick of a disagreement, holding a grudge, or feel that you've wronged someone, remember. When you begin to think that your work is driving your life, remember. These lives will not last. Don't waste the moments.
• You are not the princess or hero of your own life. We're tempted by our culture to think this, and it's enticing. But you will let yourself down. Remember: You can't sustain under the pressure to be your own hero. And, actually, this is a good thing. There is a hero stronger than you who heals your brokenness and conquered death. Relax and rely on his strength, not yours. You don't have to muster the strength to get through; it's not up to you to keep your image all together. God's strength is most present in our weakness. Let God be the hero, not you.
• This world prizes self-preservation. Keep to your tribe. Love and like the ones who have your back. Be suspect of everyone else. Serve your best interests only. Leave others to fend for themselves. Remember: this thinking has got humanity nowhere good. We in this thinking are no different than the Romans and religious leaders who killed Jesus. Remember the way of Jesus, of true life, is love that gives, seeking others' good above our own, forgiving our enemies. Remember First Corinthians 13. Remember Philippians 2. This makes no sense to the world's thinking. But, then, the world's default thinking makes no sense to God.
• God has not given up on you. There are times when you feel that your live is not worth noticing or you think that you are unimportant to God. Remember the woman who everyone else gave up on in the gospels. Jesus stopped for her and called her "daughter." He welcomed her and gave her new identity. Remember the Shepherds. They were in the darkness, overlooked, on the margins. God found them first to tell them the good news of Jesus, to give them hope beyond their circumstances.
• When life is crashing and you don't think you'll make it; when things seem bleak and dark all around; when the future seems uncertain: remember resurrection. Remember the creation story. Remember Joseph in Genesis. Remember the words of the prophets. Remember Jesus. God is always creating light from darkness, beauty from chaos, life out of death. God's hope will win.

Let's live in remembrance today, friends, and move forward in hope. Defiant hope.

In defiant hope,

Pastor Kyle