Remember

Remember is an important word in the Bible. 

After the flood, God promised Noah that he would remember his covenant with his people, using a rainbow as tangible marker, a reminder of his faithfulness. (Genesis 9:15) God tells the people of Israel to remember the horrible slavery that they endured in Egypt, not so as to cultivate bitterness, but to be freed through the wonder that it was God who delivered them with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. (Deut 5:15) Much of the book of Deuteronomy is a sermon by Moses to a suffering people who were moving into a land of promise, a land flowing with milk and honey, a time of blessing. He knew the human heart and the ease with which it can forget God’s goodness and grace -- especially when things are going well. And so, Moses writes: 

Be careful, and 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. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.  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.  (Deuteronomy 8:9–14)

Not very long after that admonition from Moses, life got easy for the people and they forgot. God, through the prophet Hoses laments "When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me." (Hosea 13:6)  

Remembering is an important practice for us as the people of God. It is dangerous not to remember; “take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. (Deuteronomy 4:9)  

This past Sunday we took time to pause and remember the ways that we saw and experienced God this past year at Creekside. If you missed it, you can listen to the sermon here. You can also read the Annual Report and remember with us. As a people of God we live moment by moment in his grace. Remembering how he has been with us in the past gives us the courage to move into the future he has for us.

Peace, hope and love

Doug