Remember

I've been doing a lot of thinking a I reflect on the ceremonies of last Sunday. Over and over we were called on to remember. While I don't advocate forgetting the tragedy and loss of the day, and I doubt that those who first hand experienced the horror will ever forget, I am unconvinced that remembering is enough. People don't seem to do a very good job when it comes to remembering.

God knows our memories are short. It is why in Deuteronomy 6 He commands us to impress His commandments upon our children, to talk of them when we sit at home and when we walk along the road, to tie them as symbols on our foreheads, and to write them on our doorframes and gates. It is why Joshua had the Israelites build a tower of stones out of the Jordan River so when the children asked " What do these stones mean?" Their parents would remember to tell them of the wonderous deeds God performed for them. It is why Christ instituted the Eucharist. When we celebrate it, we remember His life and death given for us.

Even when we are commanded to remember and we have symbols to remind us, we don't do such a great job. It didn't take long for the Israelite children to not know of God's deeds and turn to worship Baal. It doesn't take any of us long to forget. Remember the Alamo? Not too many do. Even those that recall the name or the slogan seldom remember the importance or the names of the men who gave their lives there. How about the "day that will live in infamy"? How often does Dec 7 come and go without the slightest acknowledgement of the horrors and bravery of the day? "Remember the Holocaust that it may never happen again". How many of our teens know the true atrocities of the Nazi concentration camps?

Yes, I agree we must remember 9/11, along with all of these other things, but it is not enough to say "remember". We must be intentional in our remembrance. We must pass these things on to our children and our grandchildren. It is important to talk about them and not just on the anniversary date. Future generations need to know, and it is our job to make sure they do.