We started a new three-sermon-series this week, the first installment is about starting anew, in the new year, and remembering. I was really glad it was about remembering, and not just the whole new-year-new-start propaganda that assaults us from every media outlet at this time of the year. I have a problem with that kind of thinking. Some people would argue that anything that stimulates a new, better, healthier behavior is good. It seems to me that if you can magically erase all of your past behavior (read: failures) then you can't really claim your success going forward. If you aren't responsible for what you did, how can you be responsible for what you are going to do?
We encourage children to remember stories from their childhood and babyhood, events they can't possibly remember. We tell and retell family stories. As people of faith we remember the stories of faith, the grace, the gift of God who knows everything about us. But it is not just remembering the past that defines us. George Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." If we want to avoid that trap, we must also actively claim our histories.
But where does this take us with God? I know that I am perpetually in need of a new-year-new-start. Truthfully, several times a day would be nice. And I in this case I would also really like it if that new start could erase my mistakes, even the ones that no one else knows about. It is really uncomfortable to look at and remember mistakes, even though I know that without that introspection I can't learn the lesson. But what about the judgement? The condemnation?
Remembering, not looking back, will help us move forward. Claiming our past, mistakes and all, will allow us to grow, move forward. I really want to believe that owning those memories will be like the experience described by people who have had near-death experiences. They almost always describe an overwhelming sense of love and acceptance in the form of a light, and having a life review in that warmth and caring of that light. It is just so difficult to let go of the fear... of judgement. And the purpose of that review? To help us see where we we have been and where we are being led. The trick is to then be strong enough to pay attention to the signs... and follow them.
We encourage children to remember stories from their childhood and babyhood, events they can't possibly remember. We tell and retell family stories. As people of faith we remember the stories of faith, the grace, the gift of God who knows everything about us. But it is not just remembering the past that defines us. George Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." If we want to avoid that trap, we must also actively claim our histories.
But where does this take us with God? I know that I am perpetually in need of a new-year-new-start. Truthfully, several times a day would be nice. And I in this case I would also really like it if that new start could erase my mistakes, even the ones that no one else knows about. It is really uncomfortable to look at and remember mistakes, even though I know that without that introspection I can't learn the lesson. But what about the judgement? The condemnation?
Remembering, not looking back, will help us move forward. Claiming our past, mistakes and all, will allow us to grow, move forward. I really want to believe that owning those memories will be like the experience described by people who have had near-death experiences. They almost always describe an overwhelming sense of love and acceptance in the form of a light, and having a life review in that warmth and caring of that light. It is just so difficult to let go of the fear... of judgement. And the purpose of that review? To help us see where we we have been and where we are being led. The trick is to then be strong enough to pay attention to the signs... and follow them.
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