Blessed Memory

Proverbs 10:7

The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.

Philadelphia has many historic sites made famous because of great national leaders. The names of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and, of course, George Washington have been evoked in veneration time and again for their contributions to America. Their memory is a blessing to us American citizens. Contrast their names with Benedict Arnold, whose name has become a byword for traitor.

But God gives memory of the righteous such as the biblical and church saints who stir us on to live in their example. He gives memory of good friends and relatives who have blessed us, whose very memory make us blessed. And how thankful we are for such memory! Think now of the good memory someone has left you with and thank God that he would so bless you with such a memory. And then, pray to God that through you, he will bless someone else with good memories. Someone will give thanks for the memory of a kindness you showed, of the example you modeled. Perhaps the greatest gift we can give anyone is a good memory.

And do not forget the words of our Lord, who told us to remember him. The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is the sacrament of memory, of remembering the death, the atonement of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And because God will never forget that death, we shall forever be known before our God.