States of BLISS & Yearning// The Discipline of Remembering

I've never thought of remembering as a primary discipline of the Christian faith. Bell is clear to state that we cannot think of discipline as negative, but rather as a branch of learning, like history is a discipline. Go it? Ok so then still, what does this mean? There are always disciplines that come easier than others. He makes the example of prayer... it should always be as natural as breathing... but there are still some instances in which we have to learn how to inhale and exhale... So you know, like when doing push ups and sit ups, you get so caught up in the doing that you forget to breathe...

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It is in remembering that we either realize that the past was more exciting than the present or, on the flip-side, worse than the present. "If, rather than accurately calling to mind the events of the past, we casually speculate, invent or embroider, then sentimentality or subjectivity may assume the mantle of truth; and an imagined past, ultra-bloody or rosier than the sunset, will replace reality" (19). Replacing reality is not what we're looking for.

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We've all done it... we've all been in a situation and wished... only hoped that it could be back to the "way it was." We always wish that... you know... we always say "Oh, I remember when things were like that... why can't we go back to that?" We do this instead of embracing the now. "There is a Back-to-Egypt brigade in every congregation, and there is a Back-to Egypt corner in every soul" (20) as in the face of uncertainties we would love to back to what was... even though, most likely, what was wasn't really even all that great.

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However, it isn't all bad. Remembering these things of the past allows us to bring emotional and spiritual energy to our current pessimistic feelings about the present situation. If we are accurately remembering we can really get a good look at our past and realize how far we have come. I recently looked back at last spring, as I was writing my sermon, and was thinking about how I accepted a leadership position on campus extremely hesitantly. But in that I realized that it has now been almost 9 months since I stepped into the role and I recognize how much I have grown and how much the organization has improved. On days when I think I can't do it, I remember that there was another time when I didn't think I could do it, but I have been doing it and so today is just another day.

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"Whenever you do this, do it to remember me," Jesus said as he broke bread at the table. This act of remembrance is liberating, Bell says. It is liberating because while we partake in this most sacred meal, we make known to ourselves the grace of God which transforms us and we re-present the reality of Christ's sacrifice. It is in this meal Christ is made known to us and made available to us. It is in this meal we recognize the love of Christ.

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Perhaps it is good to remember (haha) that the opposite of remembering is dismembering. And our society likes to think that the latter is the norm, the more prominent. We are dismembering families by targeting the volatility of youth. We are dismembering churches because we fail to unify as the body of Christ. We are dismembering the world because we fail to take action. But the spiritual discipline of the Christian faith is remembering.

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Through this remembering we "are put in touch with our roots in all their radicality and vulnerability" (24). Through remembering we understand that the God who has gotten us through the winters and good fridays of our lives will bring us to a new day once again. Remembering is a good habit-- as long as it is done in the right spirit. It takes time, but remembering can heal our pessimistic souls. Remembering Christ's love brings us to the depths of our spirituality. Remember, for it is makes known to us the possibility of re-experiencing the present in a new light.