by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Remembering God’s Saving Work

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

The older I get the more complicated my memories become. Whether it is my gray matter not working as it used to, loss of brain cells, or, like this tree with its many branches, that there are so many memories that I do not trust the facts of my mind’s eye.

Yet I cherish many of my memories even if the facts aren’t quite all there. As I mentioned in my last devotion, using fictional characters, I am writing a short story about my growing up years. I include in the short story things that I remember, but I find that these memories center more around emotions and relationships than facts. I am sure that if my brother reads this short story (please forgive me, Tom) that he will disagree with the facts and he might have experienced different emotions.

God calls his people, you and me, to remember what he had done for them.

“Then Moses said to the people, ‘Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the Lord brought you out from this place.'”
Exodus 13:3 English Standard Version

Fortunately, the facts of God’s saving work were written down, inscribed in the Bible for all generations. Yet, the facts are not all that God calls his people to remember. They are also called to remember the emotions of what it felt like to be slaves and what it felt like to be free. Such emotional memory leads to gratitude.

What we are today is the result of God’s past work in our lives. Yes, the memories of our past lives might become more complicated as we grow older, but recalling God’s grace is never complicated. God entered our world in Jesus. He died. He rose. He ascended. And in him we are free, free to experience the past of God’s love as if it is a present reality for us, as if today is the day that Jesus saved us.

Happy memories!

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado