Re-Member

“Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.”  — 1 Thessalonians 4:13

At a recent informational meeting for our new medical insurance plan, a pastor who serves on the Board of Pensions opened with a devotional on change. Everything changes. As the inspiring devotional continued (Really, it was inspirational—no sarcasm intended.) I began to daydream on how staying the same is much like being in a rut.

The idea of a rut made me remember a time, some thirty years ago, when I was hunting with my father-in-law on the farm. Pa, my affectionate name for him, was standing in the bed and leaning against the cab of my GMC 4-wheel drive pickup. We slowly churned along the muddy field road with all tires spinning. I didn’t even bother steering the truck for it churned straight ahead in the rutted path.

The spinning and the mud must have slowly turned the steering wheel, because all of a sudden, the truck jumped out of the rut and leapt forward and to the left, directly into a tree. The tree was large enough that it didn’t fall, and my solid steel pipe bumper didn’t budge. We stopped instantly. Pa was thrown forward a few inches against the truck cab. Nothing was broken: tree, truck, or Pa’s chest, but my ego was sorely bruised as were Pa’s ribs.

On his birthday last year, November 2, my father-in-law had a stroke. He survived in a reduced quality of life for nearly five months. In addition to being updated on our new insurance plan, the information meeting gave me the opportunity to remember Pa, his birthday, and some of the good times we shared together.

At this time of year, many people pause to remember loved ones who have passed on to the next life. Halloween actually got its name from the phrase, All Hallows Eve, the night before All Saints Day. Although many churches do not acknowledge All Saints Day, it does us good to take time and “re-member” our departed loved ones.

I once heard a minister teach that when we gather as the Church to receive Holy Communion we are “re-membering” as a Church. Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me” (1 Cor. 11:24). We do not simply remember Jesus death, but we “re-member” ourselves to Christ and “re-member” ourselves with others of our church family. In the sacrament of Holy Communion, we recommit ourselves to the Lord and become a member again, re-member ourselves to the family of God.

As I reflected upon Pa’s absence from our lives, his memories became a present reality in my life once again. As we sing songs and hymns of praise this Sunday, we will be joining with him and all the heavenly hosts in worship. We grieve as Christians, but “not as those who have no hope” (1 Thes. 4:13). When we worship, we “re-member” ourselves with our departed loved ones and all the saints and angelic hosts in united praise of God.

Re-membering also looks ahead. When we worship and celebrate the sacraments, we “proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26). As we worship this Sunday and possibly remember those who have gone on before, let us re-member ourselves to the hope set before us. Someday, maybe soon, we will see the Lord and the glories of heaven firsthand.