Remember

Monday is Memorial Day, a time for us remember those who have laid down their lives to protect the lives of others. We may gather with neighbors at community observances, or prayerfully remember their sacrifices in moments by ourselves. We remember both in general - the many, many who together changed the course of events; and in particular - that uncle, that sister, that son, whose lives were given hoping to bring peace for others. And in that remembering, we also find ourselves "remembering who we are," reclaiming the ideals that we want to live by, renewing our hopes for the world, seeing more deeply the significance of serving for the sake of others as we can, where we are.

At our worship services - note the special times of 8:15 and 10:00 - we will celebrate the various ways we are called to be a people who "remember":

• Reflecting on those who have served our nation and world;
• Remembering that we are part of the long line of people who carry the invitation of Christ to be "witnesses" into the world - as we hear the story of Jesus' Ascension and the disciples' attentive waiting for a new kind of power (Acts 1:3-14) with the message "Looking Up," and welcome new members into our congregation;
• Remembering that we are not alone, but serving through a world-wide church - hearing Missionary Paul Webster and a fellow-worker at the Mujila Falls Agricultural Center in Zambia share briefly during worship, and hearing more about their work at a simple church luncheon with them following the 10:00 service.

This holiday weekend, may we all have moments for the kind of remembering that illumines the way ahead, and helps us "remember who we are."