Remembrance
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“Each life is not just a journey through time, but a sacred journey.”
In my last semester of the MDiv program at Campbell University Divinity School, I read a book called The Sacred Journey, an autobiography/memoir written by Frederick Buechner. It is the story of Buechner’s life and journey of faith, meant to inspire the reader to reflect upon their own personal journey.
One of the things I like best about The Sacred Journey is how Buechner writes it. He doesn’t write his story with a strictly linear, timeline based structure. He writes his story almost like a road map of people. He jumps from person to person, writing about the impact they had on his life. Some of them loved him, inspired him, and cared for him. Some of them brought him pain and grief. All of them were important pieces of his story, of his own sacred journey.
When I reflect upon my own life, my own sacred journey, I can see that same road map full of people, and much like Buechner’s journey, I don’t think a timeline can really tell the story. Time doesn’t always measure impact. Some people who have only been a part of my story for a short time have made an amazing impact on my faith and who I have become. I remember each person because of the relationship I had with them.
Not all of these memories are good memories. Like any other human being, I have gone through some difficult times and broken relationships. My memories hold plenty of joy and laughter, and of good times I have had with the people who love me. My memories also hold heartache and pain, and the times I have been hurt. All of these memories are important. All of those relationships and experiences shaped me. Both the good, and the bad.
But my memories don’t just belong to me. My story isn’t just my own. Just like so many people have been a part of my story, I have also been a part of their story. Each of us has a special place in the stories of so many others. For some people we may have been a source of love, comfort, and support. For some people we may have been a source of pain. Our stories are all connected. We are as much a part of another person’s story as they are of our own, and I believe at the center of all of our stories is Jesus Christ.
Throughout Holy Week, many of us will remember Jesus’ own sacred journey. We remember his journey to the cross. A journey full of pain and betrayal, violence and death. It is also a journey of an amazing love for each of us. A love so strong that he chose to endure the journey to the cross. A love for each one of us. We remember the stillness of the tomb, and the sense of hopelessness that filled the disciples after Jesus’ death. We remember the glory of the resurrection, and the hope that was given to us all.
In Jesus’ story we can’t separate the ‘good’ memories from the ‘bad’ ones. They are all together, all intertwined. All of those memories make up the amazing story of Jesus’ sacred journey. In the same way, our ‘good’ and ‘bad’ memories are all intertwined, all important to who we are.
So I invite each of us to
Remember the good times…
and the bad times.
Remember your joy…
and your pain.
Remember your own sacred journey in its entirety…
and remember the sacred journey Jesus took for each of us.