For the most part, I love the act of remembering. In the same way that reading a good novel can transport you to another time and place, remembering can too. Except the memories are things that you actually lived through. Things like…

The smell of the ocean on a warm summer day as you walked hand in hand with a spouse, a friend, or a parent…

The woods that you ran and played in as a kid all day long until the sun sank behind the trees…

That trip you took to another country where the language was foreign to you, but you saw sights that took your breath away…

One of the wonderful gifts God gave us is that over time we tend to hold onto the good memories and let go of the painful ones. Not always. I get that. But there is a reason we refer to them as “the good ole days” even though (as Billy Joel said) they were not always good. Maybe the reason for this is because what happened to us, good or not so good, shaped who we are now—in the present. Those events become a part of what makes you, you.

According to the Bible, God loves to remember also. Numerous people in the Bible are named Zachariah. The name means “The Lord remembers”. What does God remember, exactly? Hebrews 8:12 says that what God refuses to remember are our sins. This is why we repent of them and come to Christ for his grace. “They’ll get to know me by being kindly forgiven, with the slate of their sins forever wiped clean” (MSG).

On the other hand, what God does remember are Christ’s promises for you—“The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live” (John 11:25, MSG)

Trusting in God, on Ash Wednesday you and I remember something else. “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” Whether you worship online this year or in person, taking time to remember this truth really can be healing for your soul. Remember…

…There once was a time when God breathed into you and gave you life.  

…Your days in this life are limited and every day is a gift. Every. Single. One.

…God loves you and all of His dust-creations with an ever-lasting love.

This Ash Wednesday take time to remember. Remember who you are. You are dust and your time and my time on this earth is short. But instead of letting that be a reason to panic, I’d like to invite you to see it as an opportunity to praise. To praise your Creator. Because even though we’ll all return to dust one day, what that really means—we know by faith—is that we will go home. Home to God.

For in dying, life is not ended but only changed. People of God, remember this!

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Remembering with you,

+Pastor Drew

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