Thoughts from DS Olivia
Our son Drew is getting married on December 2nd. I don't feel old enough to have a child getting married! We are looking forward to welcoming Brooke into our family and celebrating the love these two kids have for each other. As we have been preparing for this special day our family has been remembering.
My grandpa performed the wedding ceremony for my parents. During the vows, he accidentally called my dad by his brother's name. My dad performed our ceremony and horrified me when he asked Dustin, "Dustin do you promise to root for the Yankees?" Dustin dutifully said, "Yes." 😂 These are funny moments we remember, but there are holy moments as well. When the whole congregation joined us in receiving holy communion at our ceremony it was a powerful experience. When my mom sang, "Wither thou goest, I will go," to my dad, it was beautiful and moving. We remember these things, and we retell these stories because they matter!
Remembering is good! However, we all know, don't we, that we have to be careful with our remembering. Looking back can cause us to be people who live in the past and never allow the Holy Spirit to change us. Maybe this is why the Scriptures say, "Forget the former things; see, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland," Isaiah 43:18-19. Does this mean we shouldn't remember? Is God telling us never to look back? Of course not! It is what we do with that backward gaze that matters most. What we cannot do is only look back.
Advent is beginning soon. This time of year is all about looking back and remembering as we also look forward to what God is doing--Jesus came into the world as a tiny baby and Jesus will return as the reigning, resurrected, King! As we look back we need to be people who lean into the new future that God is bringing forth. The remembering should propel us forward with the Holy Spirit, not hold us back in nostalgia. My prayer this holiday season is that we will pray, "God what new thing do you want to do in me and through me?" My hope is our churches will remember what God has done and pray, "God, what new thing do you have for us?"
We have been remembering our wedding, looking back, and it is a wonderful reminder of the love we have. But this remembering is happening as we look forward to what God is doing with Drew and Brooke--the new thing! May you experience the joy of looking back over your life and the faithfulness of God while also leaning into the future with hope knowing God is always at work bringing forth something new!
Pastor Olivia
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