This memory is fixed in my mind. I’m walking at a good pace down Cornelia Avenue heading towards Ascension Lutheran Church where my family belonged. I think I’m in my teens. It’s evening and there are piles of snow on the ground. That’s it.

Every year when Lent begins this image pops into my head so it must be Lent, but it’s completely isolated from what followed. I remember that Lenten services were Vespers and were followed by an educational program. Somehow, it’s the action of going to church rather than what happened there that sticks with me.

How odd memory is. I sometimes can’t remember where I put the TV remote 60 seconds ago, but I can recite for you my first library card number.

I’ve pondered memory in connection with the Gospels. There is surprisingly little about Jesus in the Bible when you think about it. Days, weeks, even years are missing from his life. What we have is what was remembered, what stood out, what touched people and was told to others.

I believe that we have to squeeze these Jesus memories for all they are worth. We have to ask not only what Jesus meant by his words or actions, but what the people who remembered them believed. How did the story impact them? Why did they remember it? And why did the Gospel writer include this particular story? I find this a profitable approach to the Gospels.

You might give this approach a try during Lent. You could start with the reading recommended below.

Read Mark 6:1-5 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne