A Rich Spiritual History

We serve a God who has given us a rich history, and we praise Him for how He has sustained His people and made redemption possible through Christ...here are the words of Psalm 78:
2 I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old--
3 what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.
5 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.

God's Word tells us an amazing story - about 2 people placed in a garden, who departed from God's ways, a people chosen by Him, special people who had a covenant relationship with Him, and a Redeemer who came to bring salvation to those who accept Him.   As we reflect on our spiritual history, during this Holy Week, we can rejoice in God's faithfulness!!

Hebrews 12 tells us:
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

We are talking about some aspects of history today - on this day in 1984, 28 years ago, a radio station signed on the air in Montgomery, AL, and WLBF-FM brought listener-supported, all-Christian programming to the Montgomery metro area, and in subsequent years has expanded to encompass 3 full-power stations, 4 translators, and a dynamic Internet outreach at faithradio.org.

On The Meeting House today, we'll consider how the sinking of the Titanic provides a backdrop for a work of Christian fiction and the lessons we can learn from that occasion, that took place almost 100 years ago.

There is a fascination this week with the release of the U.S. Census data from 1940.   This is the first time that census data has been made available on the Internet.   Susan Cooper, a spokeswoman for the National Archives was quoted by the Los Angeles Times, as saying: "In the first three hours, we had 22.5 million hits...We're a victim of our own success."   The Times also quoted Michael Snow, a Census Bureau historian, who said the newly released information helps to fill in a portrait of the nation as it dug its way out of the Great Depression and stood at the brink of World War II. The records offer details on the period's great westward migration, prompted by Depression-era job losses and the Dust Bowl conditions that hit the Great Plains about the same time.   By the way, you can't search by name - you have to know the so-called "enumeration zone" where the person for whom you are searching resided in 1940.

I think a knowledge of our personal and genealogical history does help to give us insight about and appreciation of our own identity.   And, a knowledge of our spiritual history is important, too.  

We find a wonderful historical narrative laid out for us in Hebrews chapter 11, also called the "hall of faith".  Even a reading of the "begats", as they're called, in Matthew and Luke, can show us the rich history of how God dealt with humanity.   You read about people such as Abraham, with whom God made an agreement, a covenant, to set aside a special people.   You see David's name there, too, a man after God's own heart, upon whose throne the Messiah would sit.  

And, we're part of that rich history, because Jesus came to make you and me part of the amazing story of God's redemption plan - executed perfectly.   We consider what Jesus did for us on the cross and why He had to do it, because we could not pay the penalty for our own sin or even come to God without Him.   And, we find examples throughout the Scriptures of individuals who could relate the incredible story of God's faithfulness to His people!    So, as we consider our rich spiritual history, our hearts can be full of praise, and our mouths can be full of a testimony of mercy and grace.