Remember
A reflection for All Saints’
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 (CEB): You remember, brothers and sisters, our efforts and hard work. We preached God’s good news to you, while we worked night and day so we wouldn’t be a burden on any of you. You and God are witnesses of how holy, just, and blameless we were toward you believers. Likewise, you know how we treated each of you like a father treats his own children. We appealed to you, encouraged you, and pleaded with you to live lives worthy of the God who is calling you into his own kingdom and glory. We also thank God constantly for this: when you accepted God’s word that you heard from us, you welcomed it for what it truly is. Instead of accepting it as a human message, you accepted it as God’s message, and it continues to work in you who are believers.
All Saints’ is a tradition that has roots as far back as the 4th century when Christians would celebrate a feast of all martyrs – those who had died for their faith. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III dedicated a chapel to all the saints in St. Peter’s Basilica, and a special day was set aside to celebrate the saints in Rome. Then Gregory IV made this festival universal throughout the entire Church. In medieval times it became known as All Hallows’ Day.[i] This is a tradition that has continued over the years, and we have the honor of celebrating that tradition today.
All Saints’ is the church’s special day of remembrance. On this day, we remember the great saints of the church, all of them. In The Apostle’s Creed it talks about how we share in “the communion of saints.”[ii] It’s this idea that we have a spiritual connection with all members of the Christian church, both living and dead, because of our shared relationship with Jesus.
So… together, we remember the saints of Scripture. We remember the saints of old. We remember those whose names have been forgotten and are known only to God. We remember those who were prominent and distinguished and known by everyone. We remember those who have gone before us, who were known and loved by us. We remember the saints. We remember their lives, their deeds, and their witness.
We remember those who are most dear to us, who have departed this past year. They were our parents, our grandparents, our siblings, our aunts, and uncles, cousins, and relatives. They were our friends, our companions, and our confidants.
We also remember the saints among us who are still living. Typically, when we think about saints we think about the disciples, or people from the bible, or people like Mother Teresa. We usually think about saints as people who live their lives in near perfection, pious, righteous, and holy. But in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul refers to all Christians as “the saints.”
In 1 Corinthians, Paul writes, “to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours” 1 Corinthians 1:2 (NRSVUE). According to Paul, all professing Christians, anyone who is within the Body of Christ, is considered to be a saint of the church because of their relationship with Jesus Christ. As so, on this special day, we remember the saints of the church – all of them.
I like what Frederick Buechner says about this holy day in the life of the church. He writes: “On All Saints' Day, it is not just the saints of the church that we should remember in our prayers, but all the foolish ones and wise ones, the shy ones and overbearing ones, the broken ones and whole ones, the despots and tosspots and crackpots of our lives who, one way or another, have been our particular fathers and mothers and saints, and whom we loved without knowing we loved them and by whom we were helped to whatever little we may have, or ever hope to have, of some kind of seedy sainthood of our own.”[iii]
On this day, we celebrate all of those whom we have learned from, all of those we have loved, all of those we have shared our lives with. We remember those folks with all their flaws and imperfections, with all of their strengths and blessings. We recognize the ways in which God has worked in those relationships, and we are thankful for the memories that we share with them.
Memory is important. It connects us with our past and guides us in our future. It allows us to learn from our mistakes. It reminds us of meaningful moments that we cherish. It helps us reflect on shared experiences as we build relationships with others. It helps us recognize God’s faithfulness as we think about how God has carried us through difficult seasons in life. Memory grounds us. It gives us a sense of identity and purpose as we move forward.
In his letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul invites them to share in memory. He writes: “You remember, brothers and sisters, our efforts and hard work. We preached God’s good news to you, while we worked night and day so we wouldn’t be a burden on any of you. You and God are witnesses of how holy, just, and blameless we were toward you believers” 1 Thessalonians 2:9,10 (CEB).
Paul is remembering his past interactions with the Thessalonians. He is remembering how he shared the good news with them. He is remembering how he worked and converted them to the faith. He is remembering how he worked among them, like a father, encouraging them to live good, Christian lives.
As Christians, each of us are here today because of the testimony – because of the words spoken to us – by witnesses from the past. The saints of the church who have mentored us, encouraged us, and loved us. Saints who have taught us about the faith and showed us how to live it out. We remember those saints. We remember the ways that they poured into our lives and made us into the people that we are today.
We remember some of the things that they faced in their lives. Some were parents who were faced with raising children. Some worked jobs to support their family. Some faced different political climates, and wars, and times of uncertainty. We remember the challenges they faced and the joys they experienced. We have many of their pictures here with us today, and we remember that their legacy lives on.
So often, over time, history gets forgotten. When certain members of the family die, sometimes that history dies with them. We forget stories, we lose connections, and we stop remembering. We don’t gather with that side of the family for Christmas and Thanksgiving anymore. We stop attending the family reunions. We lose track of our relatives and friends. Sometimes, we forget.
But in the life of the church, we remember, so that the history of those who have gone before us won’t die and be forgotten. We are called to remember – to be a people who remember. Throughout Scripture we read about the importance of remembering.
Deuteronomy says: “Watch yourself! Don’t forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” Deuteronomy 6:12 (CEB).
The Psalmist says, “But I will remember the Lord’s deeds; yes, I will remember your wondrous acts from times long past” Psalm 77:11 (CEB).
Ecclesiastes says, “Remember your creator in your prime, before the days of trouble arrive” Ecclesiastes 12:1 (CEB).
It is our Christian duty to remember, because there are some things that we should never forget. We are called to remember – to be a people who remember.
Eli Wiesel, who was a writer, professor, and Holocaust survivor, once spoke about the importance of remembering the horrors of the Holocaust. He said: “We remember Auschwitz and all that it symbolizes because we believe that, in spite of the past and its horrors, the world is worthy of salvation; and salvation, like redemption, can be found only in memory.”[iv]
We cannot turn our back on injustice. We cannot simply forget the horrors and atrocities of the past. In some ways our memory can be linked to survival. It is necessary for us to remember some of those most painful things that have happened, because we are still living in a painful and broken world. We are forced to remember injustice, because we still live in a world that is unjust.
But we long for the day when we are no longer troubled with the burden of horrible memory. We long for the day when we no longer have to remember the worst of humanity. We long for the day when, as it says in the book of Revelation:
“(God) will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” Revelation 21:6 (CEB).
There are some things that we long to forget and remove from our memories. There’s an old phrase which says, “Time heals all wounds.” But sometimes our memory prevents us from healing – our memory can keep wounds fresh and open. It can feel impossible to forgive someone when a painful memory continues to haunt us and hurt us.
We long for a day when we can let go of those memories. We long for a day when we no longer hold on to the grudges that have tormented us for decades. We long for a day when we can forgive and truly forget.
As Yale Professor, Miroslav Volf writes: “No final reconciliation will take place without the redemption of the past, and the redemption of the past is unthinkable without forgetting. Indeed, only those who are willing ultimately to forget will be capable of remembering rightly.”[v]
Deep down we all care about how we will be remembered. None of us want to be remembered for our worst mistakes… our failures… our sins. We don’t want to be defined by our worst moments. Lucky for us, we serve a God who is willing to forget the worst of us – but remember the best of us.
While Jesus is hanging on the cross during his crucifixion, he is joined by two criminals – one on his right and one on his left. The one to the left of Jesus, chooses to spend some of his last moments on earth lashing out at Jesus. He mocks Jesus and cries out: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” Luke 23:39 (CEB).
Then there is the other criminal, the one to the right of Jesus. At some point, he stops yelling insults at Jesus, and he begins to see Jesus in a different way. He hears the other criminal mock Jesus and rebukes him saying: “Don’t you fear God, seeing that you’ve also been sentenced to die? We are rightly condemned, for we are receiving the appropriate sentence for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong” Luke 23:40, 41 (CEB).
The criminal on the right acknowledges his own guilt, but he also recognizes that Jesus is innocent. He recognizes that Jesus has done nothing wrong. And then, in this moment of repentance – and in this moment of faith – he speaks directly to Jesus saying: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” Luke 23:42 (CEB).
Here we have a dying man, nailed to a cross, struggling to breath, crying out to another dying man: “Jesus, remember me.” The call to remember is a call to save… This criminal is calling on Jesus to deliver him – to remember him – to not forget him.
This is a call for God to remember us. It’s a reminder for God to not forget us and not leave us in our own mess. It’s a call for God to deliver us…. To save us.
Jesus listens to this man, and then he replies with the good news: “I assure you that today you will be with me in paradise” Luke 23:43 (CEB). Notice that Jesus doesn’t ask him to make a list of all of his sins. He doesn’t get approval from a parole board. He doesn’t ask what his understanding of theology and doctrine is. He doesn’t do any of that.
Instead, Jesus hears his heart, offers forgiveness, and welcomes him into eternal life. This criminal says: “Remember me.” And then Jesus replies: “You will be with me.” The thief on the cross is not remembered for the worst of his sin. Jesus remembers him, forgives him, and embraces him.
As the retired United Methodist Bishop Will Willimon writes, “In the cross, God remembers the act of God’s forgetting the worst of sin. God remembers all our terrible iniquity in the crucifixion, and forgives.”[vi]
As the Prophet Jeremiah says, “I will put my Instructions within them and engrave them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. They will no longer need to teach each other to say, “Know the Lord!” because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord; for I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sins” Jeremiah 31:33b-34 (CEB).
The God who remembers everything, chooses to forget the worst of our sins. One day, God will wipe away the old and all things will be made new. There will be no more tears, no more pain, and no more sorrow. God will forget the past, but God will never forget about us. Moreover, we might forget about God, but God will never forget about us.
In the Apostle’s Creed, we state the core of our beliefs as Christians. “We believe in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.”
We miss our loved ones who have gone on to glory. We miss our friends and family who are no longer with us here on earth. But we can continue through our lives – we can celebrate – we can live out our call as disciples – knowing that there is a resurrection to come… Knowing that we will be united again. Thanks be to God. Hallelujah. Amen.
NOTES
[i]. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, “All Saints’ Day,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, n.d., accessed October 10, 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/All-Saints-Day.
[ii]. The United Methodist Hymnal Book of United Methodist Worship (Nashville, TN: The United Methodist Publishing House, 2001), 881.
[iii]. Frederick Buechner, “Not Just the Saints,” Not Just the Saints, October 31, 2017, accessed October 30, 2023, https://www.frederickbuechner.com/quote-of-the-day/2017/10/31/not-just-the-saints.
[iv]. Elie Wiesel, From the Kingdom of Memory: Reminiscences (Summit Books, 1990), 201.
[v]. Miroslav Volf, “The God Who Forgets, Part 1,” Christianity Today, accessed October 17, 2024, https://www.christianitytoday.com/1996/09/god-who-forgets-part-1/.
[vi]. William H. Willimon, “Blessed Are the Forgetful,” Pulpit Resource (November 5, 2006), accessed October 17, 2024, https://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/7217/november-5-2006-blessed-are-the-forgetful.
