Remembering

It wasn't until my husband died that I began to understood the purpose of those memoriam on the obit page in the newspaper.  Memoriams usually have a picture, include the dates of birth and death, and have a message to the deceased.  I always wondered, "Who are these for?  Why do folks pay to have these printed?"

So the remembering will continue.  As long as the lost one is remembered, their life retains value and substance.  As long as some one remembers, the lost one is not lost forever. 

Remembering a loved one lost also keeps us mindful of the frailty of human life, gone sometimes in seconds.  In those moments we are reminded that life is not a contest but a gift.

You honor the fallen by remembering them.  Pray for them by name.  Remember them to the loved ones left behind, then live life full of compassion and generosity and grace. 

"Almighty God, look with pity upon the sorrows of our neighbors for whom we pray.  Remember them Lord, in mercy; nourish them with patience; comfort  them with a sense of your goodness; look upon them with grace; and give them peace."  Amen    (adapted from the Book of Common Prayer)

We weep; we sing

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

This is one verse of the hymn, O Come O Come Emmanuel.  David Lose, professor of preaching at Luther Seminary reflects on his experience when it came time to sing this hymn on the Sunday following the events in Newtown, CT.

“[This is] the verse based on Isaiah’s promise that “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.” (9:1), and it’s appointed… for December 21^st, the winter solstice and darkest day of year.

“It was very difficult to sing this past Sunday. But over time I’ve learned… that songs are powerful. Laments express our grief and fear so as to honor these deep and difficult emotions and simultaneously strip them of their power to incapacitate us. Songs of praise and thanksgiving unite us with the One to whom we lift our voices. And canticles of courage and promise not only name our hopes but also contribute to bringing them into being.

“Songs are powerful. But at times also difficult, and the violence of the last days has robbed many of us of our voice. But it will not always be so. We will catch our breath, hold onto each other, remember that we are not alone, and lift our voices once again in lament and praise, promise and defiance.

“Mary sings (Luke 1.46-55) of God’s mercy, promising that God lifts up the lonely, the downtrodden, and the oppressed, not just of her day, but of our own as well. So as we take up her song, we call upon God to remember those families whose children did not come home from school on Friday, those families who already wrapped Christmas presents that will never be opened, those families who will struggle not just this holiday but for many to come. And we beseech God on behalf of all those who mourn, or are lonely, or do not have enough food, or live in places of strife and war, or who struggle with mental illness or care for them, and so many more.”

This is our calling as people of faith; to hold fast those who cannot stand on their own and to bring their cries before God.  As the baby Jesus is born yet again, we look into the cross and give thanks that this world does not have the last word.

David Lose’s column can be found at www.workingpreacher.org