Memory as Virtue; Distraction as Vice - 2nd Sunday of Lent 2019

17 March 2019 – 2^nd Sunday of Lent

Philippians 3:17-4:1; Revelation 2:2-7

Virtue is the habitual disposition to do good, and this virtue depends on memory.  St. Thomas Aquinas believed memory plays an important role in our capacity to truly repent from the many distractions of the modern culture.  “Experience”, he wrote, “is the result of many memories … therefore prudence requires the memory of many things” (Summa Theologiae).  So to repent – to “turn about” – requires a memory of where we must return.

I’ll grant there are some memories we might prefer to let go of; “leave the past in the past” – especially when it comes to remembering when we’ve been so deeply – and in some cases, permanently - hurt.  Yet Aquinas thought of memory as an ‘intellectual virtue’ that allows us to make moral choices.  For good or bad, past experiences are a huge part of who we are now, who we will become.  Part of this memory necessarily includes the stories of the Bible because there can be no useful memories in biblical illiteracy.  It’s about remembering that “First Love”.

Judging by the writings of some of the early Church fathers who believed memorization of Scripture and meditation to be synonymous, the reason so many think “progressivism” is such a good thing may be because there is nothing to remember.  Distractions from these memories have captured our attention and our imagination to the point that we have fooled ourselves into believing we can effectively pray “on the go” and learn about The Lord and the Scriptures from “bumper sticker theology” (cheesy, often unbiblical sayings) or “feel good” books about the Scriptures rather than from real time devoted to study of the Scriptures.

The entire book of Deuteronomy is a book of remembrance, of recollection.  It is a necessary review of the Exodus journey from Egypt to the border of the Promised Land.  Moses exhorted the people of Israel to remember “The Lord who brought you … out of the house of slavery” … “who led you these forty years in the wilderness” (Dt 6:12; Dt 8:2).  Moses did not leave out those parts in which Israel got a little too full of itself to the point of judgment and death in the wilderness.

The contemporary distractions they faced – and will face - disconnected them from their past and would lead them to Exile when they would lose everything – including their very identity as the People of The Lord.  The recovery time of Ezra/Nehemiah was not about picking up where they left off; it was about going back to where they went wrong and picking up the pieces of their brokenness.  They had to remember.

Memory restored Israel.  Remembrance of the past helped Israel to get back on their feet.  They remembered the Covenant, they remembered the Commandments, and they remembered where they went wrong – and by those remembrances, they were able to make prudent choices for their future.  It wasn’t easy by any means, but it was necessary.  Each broken piece they picked up was a reminder of their failure, their forgetfulness, and their faithlessness.

Liturgy may be too formal and stiff for some, but the liturgy (the order of worship) of the Church is the Story of The Lord’s people and where we come from.  It is from that context we derive our next steps.  Any sermon must draw from that context, from The Story and a remembrance of the past, before worship can even have real meaning.  We must always remember who we are before we can faithfully consider who we can become.

The Lord seems to agree.  In His letter to the Church at Ephesus, our Lord commends the faithfulness of the Church and their ability to see past the deceptions of “false apostles”.  He even commends their patience and willingness to remember His Holy Name.  Yet there is a profound memory which had apparently been lost to them – and may be lost to us: our First Love – what we could only describe as “Amazing Grace”. 

It is easy to carry a banner; but unless we remember why we were carrying a banner in the first place, all we’re doing is carrying a banner.  We can easily become distracted, set the banner down, and forget why we were carrying it in the first place.  The season of Lent is entirely about picking up that banner yet again – and remembering why we must. 

It is not enough to consider oneself a “good Methodist” or even a “good Christian”.  These will never be enough if we march apart from our “First Love”.  These labels will never be enough if we carry a name (like Methodist or even Christian as the culture demands) but not The Name which is above all names.  And in that Holy Name must be the remembrances of His Holy Law and what He requires of His people – by that Law, to be uniquely distinguished from the culture’s people.

The failure of the General Conference is entirely about lost memory and the futile attempt at creating new memories.  Whether conservative or progressive, the “First Love” never played a significant enough role.  As a result, everyone – EVERYONE – left the Conference bewildered and exhausted rather than excited about the future together in Christ.

Lent is a Gift because it seeks to recall.  It demands of us a recounting of the past within the context of the Scriptures so we can remember our “First Love”, why Grace is so “Amazing”, and how deeply we are truly loved.  In the Father, in the Son, in the Holy Spirit.  Amen.