Have you ever seen those retro photographs where a current snapshot is put in front of an older one? They are a cool way of seeing the connectedness of the past while showing how much things change. Sometimes, we feel nostalgia for what’s been lost. Other times, we feel glad for what’s been gained.
“Remember” is used 167 times in the Bible (at least in the NIV). We see it both in the Old Testament and the New. Usually, it has to do with remembering events in order to remember that God was at work in the midst of those events.
“Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you.
You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.” Deuteronomy 8:11-18
In Deuteronomy 32, God warns Moses that the Israelites will break their covenant with him. He tells Moses to write down a song of God’s presence (with all the interaction, faithfulness, and blessings and cursing of the covenant) and teach it to all the people so it will be a witness. One portion of the songs says:
“Remember the days of long ago; think about the generations past. Ask your father, and he will inform you. Inquire of your elders, and they will tell you.” Deuteronomy 32:7
Here’s a daunting verse:
“Remember and never forget how angry you made the LORD your God out in the wilderness.” Deuteronomy 9:7
This is not a verse we see on coffee mugs or taped on bathroom mirrors. That’s a reference to the whole Golden Calf Episode, though Moses promptly lists four more places where they really made God angry because of their disobedience (“You also made the Lord angry at Taberah, at Massah and at Kibroth Hattaavah…Kadesh Barnea.” 22-23). This was hardly a shining moment in Israelite history, but there it was. Nobody was allowed to dodge it.
When Jesus and disciples participated in what we call the Last Supper, Jesus said, “Keep doing this to remember me” (Luke 22:19).
There are times we read about forgetting the former things, but this idea is often misunderstood. Here are the two verses I hear quoted the most:
· “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19
· “…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14
The writers were not urging people to develop amnesia. In both cases, it meant, “Don’t be distracted or become complacent because of previous success and blessing.” Isaiah was referring to good things, not bad ones (and actually tells them several verses later to “review the past for me”). Philippians is referring to good things in Paul’s life that could lead to self-righteousness, pride in personal accomplishments, and complacency.
Remembering the past is important for at least two reasons: our past clearly forms or informs who we are today, and our past, when carefully studied, will reveal that God was present and faithful (and He is worth remembering).
I’ve been reflecting on CLG’s 50 years. I have only been a part of 27 years of it, but I’ve been a part of many conversations about church history from those of you who lived it. Like all things, there are good and bad things that have made us who we are today.
· Founded in the heart of the charismatic movement, CLG drew people who longed for a faith that felt alive, exciting and transformative. There was a freshness, a vibrancy, a sense of anticipation that perhaps they would tangibly see God at work through his Holy Spirit. For many whose faith felt dry and whose God felt distant, this was a game-changer. Who knew the Kingdom could be this alive? While our belief about the ongoing reality of the gifts of the Holy Spirit has not changed, the way in which these gifts are integrated into the corporate life of the church has. And we’ve seen spiritual fruit and growth then and now, because in then end, the Holy Spirit continuously moves in the children of God
· There was a time CLG was the church for holiday programs. We knew how to do a concert with all the bells and whistles, and I mean that in a good way. We were past the peak when Sheila and I moved here, but I got to play in the mall, and on a stage in the Open Space on Sunday morning during Cherry Festival, and here with not just a stage packed with people but a full orchestra pit as well. It was big, and beautiful, and loud, and God was glorified, and people worshipped through the gift of music. That has changed over time, because we have changed. New wine has found new wineskin. And we learned that, bigger or smaller, the Lord inhabits the praise of His people.
· There was a season where we did a lot of out-of-country missions: Mexico, Ukraine, Haiti, Nagaland, Jamaica. We helped to found churches, many of which are still going today. Some of you in here have been on a lot of mission trips and have supported missionaries from 30 years ago to this day. CLG’s legacy will ripple through generations and into eternity. For that matter, this church ran an elementary school for a long time as a ministry to the church families but also in the community. If you haven’t already, check out the pictures in the hallway. When the economy and our budget changed, we moved our focus more local: Touching Hearts, Thomas Judd, Single MOMM, Goodwill Inn, letting church plants begin in our building (4 so far), as well as others. There is something beautiful about being a part of the Kingdom in other countries and experiencing the global nature of the church. There is something beautiful about living out the Kingdom in our own communities, being the hands and feet of Jesus where we live. If God blesses us with another 50 years, I’m sure we will continue to see the ebb and flow of near and far.
· We’ve had people attend here who have attended and never left, and we have had those for whom CLG was where God placed them for only a chapter or a couple chapters in their life.
· We’ve had wonderful church business meetings and some not so wonderful.
· We’ve had bulging bank accounts and empty ones.
· We’ve had multiple services and one service, longer services and shorter services, baptisms, weddings, funerals, baby dedications, attempts at membership, revivals, concerts, chili cook offs, youth group overniters, banquets, garage sales, fundraisers, retreats, potlucks, fires…
· And we’ve always been human. Image bearers who are works in progress, children of the Heavenly Father who are sometimes child-like and sometimes childish, placed in a church community that is good, and difficult, and life-giving but sometimes draining, and it’s all part of God’s plan for our flourishing in His kingdom.
And what is the thread that runs through all of this? The constant, faithful presence of God.
· The God who gives good gifts to His children, and He has given many of those gifts to and through this church over the years.
· The God who takes the ashes of our firebombed lives and replaces them with beauty; we have seen many become spiritually beautiful within this community over the years.
· The God whose strength is perfected in our weakness.
· The God who continually transforms his children into the image of Jesus, working maturity and growth in us for our good and the good of those around us, to the glory of God. That is a long, hard, and beautiful process.
· The God who takes what Satan intends for ill and turns it to His good purposes, over and over again.
· The God who has sustains us and loved us just as we are and too much to leave us that way. He often uses His people to as his voice in that process. That balance of when to listen and when to speak, when to just be present and when to intervene, when to absorb and when to confront. It’s just messy and unpredictable, and we pray for Holy Spirit to guide us, and pray that God’s love covers a multitude of not just sins, but an abundance of stupidity.
· The God who will never leave us or forsake us.
On this God, our hope rests.
On a personal level, CLG has played such a vital role in the life of my family. Sheila and I are grateful beyond words for what we found here – well, not everything we found here in our 27 years, - but this is the cool thing: God used this church, through the people in this church, to minister to us in profound ways. And for that we are profoundly grateful.
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As pastor, I follow in the footsteps of pastors who loved God, loved His word, and shepherded this church in their own unique ways based on their skills and passions. Most recently it was Ted, who has been so vital in teaching and modeling for me what service in this role looks like.
And for those who are here, the further back your attendance goes, the more memories you have of things that you feel defined CLG over the years. If you’ve been here for a while, you have navigated a lot of changes, some that have felt good and some that have been hard. However, there’s probably something that sticks in your mind about your experience with these first 50 years. That leads me here:
50 years from now, what do I hope people remember about CLG from 2023 - 2073?
I’ve had lots of things banging around in my head on this one, but I kept coming back to the idea that it’s not as much about what we will do as who we will be.
So, what kind of people does God intend for us to be? As I was thinking about that this week, I kept coming back to 1 Corinthians 13. Paul concludes the chapter by saying,
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)
So, let’s chart a course built on faith, hope and love.
FAITH
This is a trust in Jesus that changes our life. This starts with believing the truth about who Jesus is as seen in the biblical ‘creeds’ about Jesus.
55 AD: “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are
all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” (1
Corinthians 8:6)
·55 AD “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also
received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the
scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third
day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to
Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five
hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive,
though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James,
then to all the apostles.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-7)
·62 AD “Though he was in the form of God, did not count
equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself,
taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form he humbled himself and became
obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has
highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is
above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every
tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father.” (Philippians 2:6-11)
·67 AD “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our
religion: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit,
seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the
world, taken up in glory.” (1 Timothy 3:16)
Faith starts with believing the biblical ‘creeds’ about Jesus, but it’s not just thoughts in our head. It’s reordering our life with the help of the Holy Spirit so that who we are demonstrates the life-changing reality of who Jesus is. We are not children of empire; we are children of God. Our culture does not get to tell us who we are or how we are to be. The Kingdom does.
The Bible calls us ambassadors: representatives, icons on the world’s computer screen so that when people ‘click’ on us, we reveal that Christ in us is the hope of glory.
FROM THIS FAITH COMES HOPE
· that sin does not master us
· that forgiveness and grace are real things
· that all that is sick in us can be healed
· that our history is not our destiny
· that God can bring beauty from the ashes of our lives
· that we can be made well, and (!) even whole!
· that there really is a community of people united in Jesus who can both know us and love us
· that evil will never have the last word
· that there will be a new heaven and earth
· that for the children of God, all that is bad will be undone
· that one day, God will wipe away all tears from our eyes
· that one day we will see Jesus face to face
HOPEFUL FAITH IS EXPRESSED IN LOVE
How does God plan for who you are in Christ to be expressed? There are a lot of details, but one core value.
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.“ As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. (John 15: 8-12)
We looked at the last verse in 1 Corinthians 13. Here’s famous verses from the beginning of 1 Corinthians 13 (from multiple translations and word studies).
· Love patiently endures
· Love is gentle and consistently kind
· Love is not envious when others are blessed
· Love does not strut or boast; it is not proudly inflated by its own importance.
· Love is not unshapely (unseemly or improper); it takes on a form that is compelling and attractive
· Love does not dishonor others with shame or disrespect
· Love does not selfishly seek its own honor or attempt to “get what’s mine”
· Love does not fly off the handle with anger or quickly take offense
· Love does not keep a punch list of wrongs it has endured
· Love does not delight in unrighteousness or injustice
· Love does not cheer when others are harmed (doesn't revel when others grovel)
· Love celebrates honesty, truth and righteousness.
· Love always gives a safe place of shelter, bearing or covering[1] the baggage of others
· Love entrusts people to God (“always trusts/believes all things”)
· Love remains hopeful and faithful during difficult times[2]
· Love bears incredible loads without breaking
· Love never stops loving well.
This, I hope, is what someone 50 years from now says about CLG: “See how they loved God and others.”
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[1] but not enabling
[2] even if that happens from a distance