In church, we have a rich relationship to remembering; it’s at the heart of the sacrament of Holy Communion, when we eat bread and drink from a shared cup “in remembrance” of Christ Jesus. We not only carry with us the memory of his life and his love, but we participate in remembering as a way of forming ourselves into the body of Christ. Remembering makes us compassionate, loving, and grace-filled.
The piece of Cole Arthur Riley’s post that struck me as particularly helpful this year, though, was the final two lines: “We have known healing. Honor your becoming.”
Sometimes, it feels as though we can’t properly honor the memory – particularly memories of harm – if we let ourselves move on, freed from captivity to what has happened. This invitation, to honor our becoming, is an opening to make space for both remembering and for liberation.
May you find space here at the very beginning of 2025 to remember – to honor all the joy and all the loss. May your remembering allow you to honor your becoming, too.
grace and peace,
Pastor Molly
