Short Devotion: History

 Acts 20:35 (Paul said) “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (NIV)

 

History is hard work which is why some people choose to ignore it. It reveals to us the truth about who we are, warts and all, in the hope that each succeeding generation will become a better version of its predecessors. The mistakes, calamities, and tragedies of the past may shame or even annoy us, but no matter what we feel about history, it’s hard work to accept the truth that it forever displays.

 

For instance, in Canada, the people are reeling from a recent discovery of a mass grave where over 200 bodies of indigenous children were found. They had been forcefully taken from their homes and tribes and placed in residential schools in order to ‘civilize’ them. For decades, survivors of the abuse that had been going on told their horrifying stories, but no one wanted to listen to their ‘outrageous’ tales because most of those schools were run by Christian denominations.

 

But history has a way of revealing the truth, so when these bodies were discovered, Canadians realized that the horrors and tragedies that those young children endured were true, so the whole nation, which tries to portray a people who are tolerant and accepting, was shocked. The ugliness of the past can no longer be hidden; the shame that has fallen on the church needs to be addressed. There can be no healing without a hearing; there can be no resolution without reparation; there can be no conclusion without contrition.

 

We also have a tragic and horrifying past to consider and confess with regard to indigenous people and those who were enslaved. History will keep burdening us with the truth if we ignore or vainly try to cancel it. Those who were once weak, powerless, and brutally silenced are now finding their strength and their voices. What they have to express is a hard truth about ourselves; what they have to reveal, we cannot continue to ignore.

 

As Christians, we are called to help the weak and the poor; we are meant to cheerfully give rather than selfishly take; we are supposed to be people of the Truth, no matter how inconvenient or unflattering that it may be; we are meant to seek and represent the Kingdom of God above all else; we are meant to apply grace to encourage goodness and adopt humility in order to heal. It is not an easy task, but it never has been – our symbol is a painful cross, not a pillowed cushion. If we want to build a better future, we need to repair the past.

 

Q: What parts of our history need to be revealed, received, and re-addressed?

 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to honestly look at our history and see clearly what needs to be confessed and healed. Give us the courage to face our ugliness and grant us the humility to correct our faults. In Your Holy Name, we pray, and by Your Holy Words, we seek to live. Amen.

 

Pastor John

Going Forward - Philippians 3:13b-14

Philippians 3:13b-14 Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

            We all have past regrets which we keep in our hearts, mull over in our minds, and rekindle in our spirits every now and then. We relive some personal hurts and disappointments in order to cradle the resentments or offenses we once felt in our souls. Sometimes we keep visiting those uncomfortable moments as a means to either torture our spirits or maintain our injured pride. Whatever the reason, the past can draw us back and chain us to some events that cannot be changed, no matter how much we try to justify or understand them.

            I think the Apostle Paul felt these things, too. He had major regrets from his past before he became a Christian. He had harassed and hunted down Christ’s followers in order to rid his faith community of their existence. He may have had men, women, and children arrested who believed in Christ. He probably gave evidence against them at their trials and he could also have witnessed some executions. At the time, he felt justified and his zeal for God blinded him to the pain and suffering he was inflicting on his prey. When he became a Christian himself, Paul must have had many regrets which he carried with him for the rest of his life.

            However, Paul did not wallow in the past or afflict himself with his mistakes. Instead of looking back, he looked forward to using the time he had left for the work, mission, and calling that Christ had given him. He pushed himself onward and saw God’s reward clearly ahead of him. His goal was to live the rest of his life for Christ’s sake, taking every day as an opportunity to serve Jesus and fulfill his ministry for him. To do this, he left the past in the past and strained forward to the glorious future that awaited him.

            Christianity allows us the gift of beginning again. Christ permits us to let go of the past in order to follow Him faithfully into the future. Our regrets are absolved and our mistakes are forgiven. We can move on from what held us back and begin again. This is Christ’s way of freeing us from our failures and restoring our lives to God. It is a beautiful gift and one which we can receive today.

Point to ponder

What parts of my past hold me back? Am I willing to let Christ liberate me from them now?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know the struggles we deal with constantly in our hearts and minds. We ask that You help us to break free from our past and follow Your path in the future. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Our Sunday worship service begins at 11:00 AM. Come along and join us – you will be made most welcome.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Pentecost drawings called ‘Spirit Jazz.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Jazz.