Should We Celebrate The Past?

Today we are celebrating our church’s 90th anniversary. Too often, when churches have this much history, they have little else to celebrate. Because the days of growth, excitement, and expansion are behind them. The one thing they have to hang on to is the past. So they dwell on it. And the good ‘ol days or the heyday of the church is referred to often.We are so grateful that here at The Bridge, we can celebrate our full ninety year history. We know that the heyday of the church isn’t behind us, it’s in front of us. We have as much to celebrate about today as any time in our history. That is a rare blessing for churches with this much heritage.But is it right to celebrate the past? Shouldn’t we let bygone days be gone and just keep looking forward? After all, it's the present and our future present that matters, right?If we use the Scriptures as our guide, we see that remembering the past has always been a tool of God to inspire and motivate his people for the present and the future. The entire book of Deuteronomy was a book of remembering. Repeatedly, the imperative “Remember,” is commanded of the Israelites. They were to remember how God worked in the past so that their faith in him would build for the future. And it wasn’t just the faithfulness of God that we are to remember. The New Testament authors frequently used God’s people in the past to inspire and encourage believers. An entire chapter in Hebrews is today referred to as the “Hall of Faith,” because the author listed dozens of past saints and the example they left for his readers. You may recall that Stephen's sermon last week was a recounting of Israel’s history.Remembering the past is a good thing, as long as we don’t live there.I love to go through old photos and watch videos from when my kids were young. It allows me to continue to enjoy those days. But they and others need me in many more ways today. The past is a good memory and it serves to remind me of my blessings and God’s faithfulness. But today is where life is at. As John Kennedy famously put it, “We celebrate the past to awaken the future."So let’s celebrate our heritage. Let’s be grateful for Walter Faust and Craig Massey and the many women and men who served and sacrificed with them and gave us the church we enjoy today. But more than anything, let’s allow their example to lead us into the future. For the sake of the Kingdom, I want our grandchildren to look back at today with the same degree of appreciation.