The book One Hundred Years of Solitude describes a town that suffers from a plague of forgetfulness.

People start forgetting everything, like it’s contagious. And it is certainly very scary.

One man starts putting notes on everything so that he doesn’t forget. “This is a table… a lamp… a door.”

He goes into the town and puts up two big signs. One is the name of the town itself because soon everyone will forget: “The name of our village is Macondo.” The other sign simply says: “God exists.”*

This story makes me think of two things. First, humans are prone to forgetfulness. Second, we need to make an effort to remember what matters most. 

Even though we aren’t dealing a literal plague of forgetfulness, we are certainly at risk of forgetting what matters most.

And doubt, despair, and fear feed on forgetfulness.

That’s why God—because of his loving kindness toward us—put things in our lives to help us remember what matters most. The Sacrament of Communion is one of those things. “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me,” Jesus says in Luke 22:19. He also gives us the promises of Scripture, prayer, and other Christians. Each and every person who journeys in the footsteps of Jesus is a reminder to other pilgrims about what and who matters most. 

When I drive into the church parking lot I will often repeat Matthew 16:18 to myself: “…on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” When I do this I REMIND myself that this isn’t just a street address, but that the people who gather under the banner of Christ are doing God’s work—and not even the gates of Hades will prevail against us!

At the end of our lives, we will probably have a lot of things jammed into our heads. But if we forget about God, what he has done for us, and his promises, so much of that other stuff won’t matter. 

Doubt, despair and fear feed of forgetfulness. So proactively do the things which God has put into your life to help you remember his goodness and grace.

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Notes:

–“Hocus Pocus: The use, abuse, and true meaning of Communion.” Sermon. October 1, 2023. Click here.

–Podcast: “Understanding the Lord’s Supper.” Click here or tune in to The Pulse Podcast with Matthew Ruttan wherever you subscribe.

–*As recounted in: Harold Kushner, Who Needs God? (Fireside: New York, 1989), 207.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.