Ponderings
April 13
Eastertide 2012
Deuteronomy 4:9
Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.
The Book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament encompasses the farewell speeches of Moses to the Hebrew people as they prepare to enter the Promise Land. For forty years they have journeyed from Egypt toward Canaan and now they find themselves camped on the outskirts of Canaan ready to enter it. Because Moses will not enter with them, he shares with them his farewell thoughts.
In chapter four we find him saying:
Watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen
or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.
Moses says to the Israelites that they must not forget; they must remember. He tells them to remember how God freed them from slavery in Egypt. He tells them to remember how God sustained and guided them in their wilderness wanderings. He tells them to remember that God fulfilled all the promises He made to them. Moses tells the Hebrew people you must remember.
This coming Sunday, April 15, is a most special occasion here at Germantown Methodist. It is History Awareness Sunday and we will be celebrating the rich history of this Church. My sermon will focus on that which we must not forget as we think about all that God has done through this Church in her 172 year history and perhaps some things God wants us to consider in the future. A special feature of this Sunday will be recognizing our longest serving living members; those living who have been members of this congregation for 50 years or more. They deserve our admiration and our applause.
I invite you to spend some reflective moments today and the days ahead thinking about how God has blessed you - and this community - with the ministry and mission efforts of this Church. I am humbled to be the Senior Pastor of such a vibrant congregation. We, again, have a rich, rich history; but I also think we have a dynamic future ahead - especially as we each do our part to serve Christ faithfully with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness. Perhaps the best is yet to be.
I hope you will make a special effort to be present at one of the services!
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