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One of the most powerful stops on a recent trip to Washington D.C., in addition to the War Memorials, was The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum created to inspire citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. US Holocaust Museum

Pictured is the eternal flame in the Hall of Remembrance, the last stop in the museum journey providing a place for reflection. The surrounding walls are inscribed with the names of concentration and death camps.  This is a living memorial to the Holocaust. The eternal flame burns before an inscription from Deuteronomy on the responsibility of memory: 

Only guard yourself and guard your soul carefully, lest you forget the things your eyes saw, and lest these things depart your heart all the days of your life. And you shall make them known to your children, and to your children's children. Deuteronomy 4:9 

The Museum teaches millions of people each year about the dangers of unchecked hatred and the need to prevent genocide. People are encouraged remember and act, cultivating a sense of moral responsibility among our citizens so that they will respond to the monumental challenges that confront our world.God’s word is a living word calling us to remembrance and action.  What does this all mean together in light of the tragic mass violence in the U.S. as we observe Memorial Day? What in God’s name are we teaching our children today as they witness and fall victim to hate crimes by gun violence almost every day?

As Peggy Hahn, Exec. Dir. of Way to Lead, wrote in a recent newsletter, “We cannot separate ourselves from the real work of faith – to live as God’s people, caring for the people and world that God made. This is at the core of our faith. It is hard. The cross is heavy.”

Further on in Deuteronomy 6 we find The Shema, when God again calls the people to remember, teach, and pass on the faith and God’s love: 4 “Hear, O Israel … 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” 

Jesus added this to The Shema: And love your neighbor as yourself.  Scripture makes it clear we are to be teaching our children God’s way of peace, love, and mercy. How does our remembrance call us to action to bring an end to the living hate we see all around us and prioritize human dignity?  

In Memorial Hall, visitors may light candles that line the walls, a universal symbol of renewed life and an act of remembrance. I invite you to reflect and light a candle in worship this weekend in remembrance of victims of hate and violence here and across the globe. May God’s word be written in our hearts and help us to remember, confront hate, and make ways to enact love for God and neighbor in our lives, communities, and the world.

Remember, Pastor Andrea