2009-11-01

“All Saints 'Memory Gathering' Framing”
11/1/09, All Saints
For 1st Mennonite Church of Denver
Copyright 2009, Vernon K. Rempel

Rainer Maria Rilke gives us this thought
 on life and death:

"Falling Stars" IV
Do you remember still the falling stars
that like swift horses through the heavens raced
and suddenly leaped across the hurdles
of our wishes - do your recall? And we
did make so many! For there were countless numbers
of stars: each time we looked above we were
astounded by the swiftness of their daring play,
while in our hearts we felt safe and secure
watching these brilliant bodies disintegrate,
knowing somehow we had survived their fall."

Each one of us is intended to be a brilliant body
 a sparkling and joyful gift to creation
  from a God who delights in creation.

And we all have loved ones who have become
 our fallen stars, our brilliant bodies
  who have passed from the sky,
   who have fallen.

We conserve and carry forward the memories of these dear ones
 by knowing that the Spirit of God,
  the great Spirit of life
   is not only up but also down.

The Spirit is in the sparkling sky
 as we know it.
  The Spirit is also down,
   in the places we don't know
    the places of mystery
     where they have gone
      where we will all one day go.

Parker Palmer says:
 The God I know lives in the root system of the very nature of things.

We gather the memories of our loved ones
 and live more honestly ourselves
  when we think of the going down
   the ending, the passing,

and understand that the divine Spirit,
 the Holy Spirit is there.

In this understanding
 we are given safe and hopeful ground for living:
  in the shining and in the falling,
   and in all things

that is where life is, that is where love is,
 and because we encounter the Holy Spirit
  in both the shining and the falling
   we learn something about eternity

about how nothing and no one is ever lost;
 we understand this in part by gathering and keeping memories,
  and one day we will understand it face to face
   in ways we barely imagine now
    that in God's good grounding
     nothing is lost
      all is caught together in a great gathering,
       in the deepest and most profound
        places of God's creation and love.

Let us therefore remember with good hearts
 and courage
  and therefore find hope and encouragement
   to live more honestly and hopefully
    and to find our own greatness in this life. Amen.
  

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