Shared History
"So that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, "What do those stones mean to you?' then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the Israelites a memorial forever" (Joshua 4:6-8, NRSV).
Remember the times when you get together with people of shared history, and the stories start out with, "Remember when..."
When my family gets together, the same stories are told over and over. Remember when...
...some of us used to jump off the roof of the house into trash cans full of water, and one of us missed, straddling the trash can...
...one of us sat on a hot curling iron...
...we weren't supposed to be jumping on the bed, and one of us hit our head on a nail sticking out of the top bunk...
...when we used to get into trouble together, lining up in single file to get spanked....
Israel had a shared history of experiencing God's miraculous deliverance from Egypt to the Promised Land. They were to remember and share these amazing stories forever, so that they wouldn't forget their past, the past out of which God had brought them to experience a new present and future.
Memorials of Faith
The Bible is replete with instructions to remember, emphases upon symbols that would be a sign, and using objects as memorials that can be used to remind us of what we need to remember.
- The Ark of the Covenant-a visual reminder of God's presence
- The manna from the wilderness wandering-a reminder of God's provision
- The cross-a reminder of God's sacrifice
- Communion-a reminder of God's redemption and restoration of lost humanity
- Baptism-an event reminding each person of their new life
We as humans have a short attention span; focusing on the present and worrying about the future. And too often, we remember what we are supposed to forget, and forget that which we are supposed to remember. We find it easy to remember past mistakes or past hurts, yet forget God's provision and presence in our lives.
- "Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm" (Deut. 5:15).
- "Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles..." (1 Chron. 16:12).
- "Do this in remembrance me..." (Luke 22:19).
We are told to remember because we have a tendency to forget.
Remembering God
Remember when...
...God miraculously provided...
...God comforted you during a dark moment...
...God first touched your life...
...God answered your prayer...
It's good to remember when...
