I read a story about a Detroit Lions fan who got invited onto the field to help stretch out a massive American flag before the game. On the very field where his beloved Lions played, the fan began to taunt Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers’ coach. When LaFleur spoke to the fan, the fan grew more animated and began to make threatening gestures towards the players who were warming up. At halftime, after reviewing the tape, the Lions removed the season ticket holder from his seat. Within a few days, the fan was being interviewed by national media outlets and banned from attending all NFL games. The fan said, “I was blessed with an honor to hold the flag of a country I love. I crossed the line, and it shouldn’t have happened… I can’t believe this happened.”  (NYTimes.com “I can’t believe it came to this: his Lions fandom is his identity. He almost lost it.” (by Brendan Quinn, 12-15-24)

It is easier to forget who we are than we like to admit. In the rush to get to work, school, or the ballfield, maybe you have forgotten who you are behind the wheel? I have heard people confess how they got so caught up in politics or faith that they said things to their family or long time friends that upon further review they do not know how to undo. It is easy to get caught up in the stress, fear, dogma, our own stuff, and forget God and the people God loves (or everyone). 

On the eve of Snowmageddon, I stood in line at Kroger holding one of the last 4 gallons of milk in Middle Tennessee. My poor checkout clerk was weary from people infected with bread fever, who so infected, forgot she was a human being. It’s a too long, too situational story, but I cracked a joke that made her laugh so hard she slapped the conveyor belt and stood there chuckling for maybe half a minute. When she handed me the receipt she said, “Thanks for the laugh; I needed that.”  I did pretty well Thursday but to be honest, I started praying to keep it together driving around looking for a parking spot. 

Lured by lesser things, we can forget what really matters. When we were parents of toddlers, my mother said to me, “Your boys will not remember how clean the house was or what they had for supper, but they will remember the laughter and joy you shared.” We can get so focused on achievements and activities that we forget who we are. How do we remember who we are? 

This week the nation paused and remembered President Jimmy Carter. Remarkably, Carter was eulogized by Gerald Ford, his rival for the presidency in 1976. President Ford shared, “Jimmy learned early on that it was not enough merely to bear witness in a pew on a Sunday morning. Inspired by his faith, he pursued brotherhood across boundaries of nationhood, across boundaries of tradition, across boundaries of caste. In America’s urban neighborhoods and in rural villages around the world, he reminded us that Christ had been a carpenter. And in Third World villages, he successfully campaigned — not for votes, but for the eradication of diseases that shamed the developed world as they ravaged the undeveloped one.” President Ford’s eulogy of the person who defeated him, bears witness to the decency of Ford and Carter.  President Carter’s grandson Jason remembered his grandfather saying, “He had the courage and strength to stick to his principles even when they were politically unpopular. As governor of Georgia half a century ago, he preached an end to racial discrimination and an end to mass incarceration. As president in the 1970s, as you’ve heard, he protected more land than any other president in history. Fifty years ago, he was a climate warrior who pushed for a world where we conserved energy, limited emissions and traded our reliance on fossil fuels for expanded renewable sources. By the way, he cut the deficit, wanted to decriminalize marijuana, deregulated so many industries that he gave us cheap flights and, as you heard, craft beer. Basically all of those years ago, he was the first millennial.” 

Can you imagine the pressure  of leading our nation? How did President Carter remember who he was amid the unimaginable pressure and temptations of the oval office? President Carter practiced becoming the best Jimmy Carter he could be every Sunday in church and Sunday School, usually preparing for and leading the Bible class. We become faithful by practicing faith.

In Deuteronomy 6,  Moses gives the Ten Commandments not just to believe but to teach and observe “so it will go well for you and your children and your children’s children.” How will rivals, your community, and your grandchildren remember you? How will you remember who you are?  

Moses teaches, “Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Twice a day orthodox Jews recite the Shema, remembering who they are, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Rabbi Reuven Kimelman asserts you can translate that prayer  “so you shall love (God)” in other words, the love reflects a consequence rather than a commandment. The text is saying that by adhering to the program described in the verses, you shall come to love God.” (thetorah.com The Shema Instructions for a Romance with YHWH) You see a reminder of your faith on your wrist and written on your doorpost. You recite the prayer to your children. You talk about your faith in the car riders’ line, the dinner table, as you tuck your children into  bed. Faith becomes the flavoring of your life; it is the practice of faith that produces faith, hope, and love. How do we remember who we are? We study it, talk about it, and practice faith! Remembering our baptism helps us remember who we are.

 As people who believe in the holy mystery of Jesus’ absolute divinity and humanity, it is curious that a sinless and holy Jesus seeks out John’s Baptism, which was “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Luke 3) Jesus sets an example for us, and in doing so experiences a beautiful affirmation of God’s call and blessing on his life: “Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Child, the Beloved: with you I am well pleased.’”  

Hear the good news you are beloved!  Remember your baptism, remember you are beloved; remember God delights in you. Remember love never fails to love. (1 Corinthians 13) Remember who you are and who you can become. Remember your baptism and be thankful.

Take your bulletin home o  print it out, put it on the frig, tape it to your mirror. Read it as your car warms up! Put it on your Home Screen.  Link it to your calendar.  Reread it and rehearse it in your day. Talk about it as you get in the car and as you return home. Put your shell or the little blue rock in your pocket, car cup holder or bedside stand. Remember your baptism and be thankful. 

Remember, we are “Siblings united in Christ…”  Remember, we are all “incorporated in God’s mighty acts of salvation…” Remember, “All of this is God’s good gift, offered to us without price.” Remember, God has given us “freedom and power to resist evil, injustice, and oppression…”

Remember, you are surrounded by a community of love and forgiveness, committed to serving others. We are praying for each other, hoping we all might live as true disciples and helping each other walk in the way that leads to life.   

Remember your baptism and be thankful. Amen.