"Oh, right, I forgot." (Luke 24)

How many times do we have to be reminded of something?

This morning was a semi-typical morning. We got up and I gave my daughter breakfast, took the dog for a walk, and went to take a shower. I came back out to get Lorelai dressed. "Take your pajamas off...take your pajamas off...take your pajamas off please." This was the whole process, ever article of clothing took at least three verbal ques before things got done. I asked her as we are walking out the door. "Lorelai, why do you wait to do something until I get grumpy? I asked you the first time nicely and you wait until I get grumpy before you do anything." Her response is a typical one for her, "Oh, right, I forgot."

In the final chapter of Luke, 24, its seems this phrase just keeps coming out of the mouths or at least the thoughts of the desciples. The women go to the tomb to annoint his body and they are met by angels who say, he's not here he's risen. Remember how he told you...then they remembered his words. "Oh, right, I forgot."

There are two men walking along the road to Emmaus, downcast and sure everything is over. Jesus, incognito, comes along side of them and says, "what are you discussing, what's got you down?" The continue to tell him about Jesus and how they had hoped he would be the one, but now he is dead. Jesus still unrecognizable tells them, "How foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" Then Jesus gives them a bible study about the messiah. When he is finally recognized at the breaking of the bread and he disappears, the two guys finally get it. Didn't our hearts burn within us on the road and he spoke to us? "Oh, right, I forgot."

It happens again as Jesus shows up with the rest of the disciples. He has to eat some fish to convince them he's not a ghost. How many times did Jesus tell these guys he was going to die and then on the third day be raised? "Oh, right, I forgot."

Don't we do the same thing? How many times have we read in scripture and been told by the preachers, in Jesus you are forgiven. We still hold onto our guilt convinced God can't love us..."oh, right, I forgot." How many times are we told of his everlasting love, how many times does Jesus pray for our unity as a body of believers and yet we pick and slash at each other, "oh, right, I forgot." How many times does scripture tell us to care for the poor and the least of these, sharing out belongings as each other have need. Yet we decide the new car, the bigger house, or the $5 cup of coffee is really what we want to do with our money. "Oh, right, I forgot."

May Jesus do for us as he did for his disciples at the end of Luke 24, "Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures." This is not to say the disciples got it from then on out. This is why Jesus promised to send his holy spirit to remind us of all the things he has taught.

One more little thing. How are we going to remember what he said, unless we spend time listening. Our hearts can't really be opened to the scriptures unless we are reading them. How often our busy lives carry us away from this. How often do I find myself saying, "oh, right, I forgot."

May we seek God today while he may be found when we seek him with all of our heart. May we remember who he is and what he has done for us as the words ring out through the history of scripture and resound in our own lives.