One of my favorite musicals is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats which I first saw in London many years ago. The musical was based on a book of poems by T.S. Elliot Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. The most famous song from the Musical is Memory sung by Grizella, a former glamour cat, who has fallen on hard times. The song is nostalgic and poignant with the aging cat remembering former glories and wishing for current acceptance. The song’s lyrics and melody are haunting and sad. Memory can be like that at times, but it can also be warm and sustaining. In memory we can relieve the joys of the past and explore its significance for the present. Israel preserved the memory of the Exodus when God saved his people from their captivity.That memory became the center of their identity as a people.That memory had liberating force for the African-American community as well in the time of slavery.Jesus understood the power of memory when he instituted the Bread and Cup with the words “Do this in in remembrance of me.”We still remember Jesus, his teaching, his death, his resurrection when we share together the Bread and Cup.This living memory is still alive for us, still shaping our lives and our community. In that moment we remember the living savior who is still with us.It is a solemn and joyous moment.We remember Jesus and we again experience his presence in the breaking of bread and the sharing of the cup.