Sometimes You Need To Look Back To Move Forward
We have experienced something in the last few weeks that has been so incredibly healthy for us as a church! During the month of September, we decided to do a series entitled GRAB THE BATON, as we took some time to celebrate the fact that I have now been the Lead Pastor at Allison Park Church for three decades.
The purpose of a celebration of an anniversary is to mark the moment; to pull up the memories of what makes the shared relationship special; to thank God for His faithfulness; and to renew the commitment to the future together.
This is what we have been doing during this sermon series. Our hope is that the next generation, who was not here thirty years ago, will hear the stories of the past, understand the DNA of what makes us unique, and grab that baton so that they can run their race.
As a part of the weekend messages, I have been sharing some of the key moments, miracles, and marks of what God has done at APC over the years. Somehow, the experience of looking back has helped us prepare to move past the stress and tension of the last two years, so that we can move forward again.
#1 - MEMORIES CARRY A MESSAGE!
In the book of Joshua, chapter four, the decision is made to commemorate the miracle of the crossing of the Jordan river. God parted the river just like he had parted the Red Sea. They entered into the promised land, after forty years of wilderness, with a mirror miracle of what had happened when they were delivered from Egypt.
When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.” Joshua 4:1-3
Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever.” Joshua 4:21-24
They stacked the stones into a lasting pillar so that the future generations would not forget the message of a God who loved them enough to rescue them and redeem their lives. Every time they would see the stones, it would help them remember what God had done in the past and that He was powerful enough to carry them into the future.
#2 - MEMORIES STIR UP DESIRE!
During the first weekend of the sermon series, I shared about the “revival” that happened at APC in early 1997. As I shared about how God moved and how the people experienced deeper levels in the presence of God through worship, there was a spark ignited in our current congregation. After the message, people lingered in prayer and worship for unusually long seasons, not at all the norm over this pandemic year. Many commented to me about how the message had impacted them and they were moved to pray, to fast and expect something fresh to happen again.
I was not at all expecting this! I had planned the series as a way to celebrate the past, but as I shared what God did, the memory made people hungry for the future. I guess it’s like talking about a great meal that was shared together as a family. “Remember last year when we went to grandma's house for Thanksgiving dinner? Remember the smell of apple pie from the first moment that you walked through the door? And the turkey and sweet potatoes that she made?
Even now as I describe my grandma's Thanksgiving dinner, my guess is you may have thought about your own shared holiday meals and your favorite foods. You may have even looked at your watch to see if it was time to eat right now!
The practice of looking back together and remembering the past can create a hunger to experience something again ( or create a desire to experience it for the first time)!
#3 - MEMORIES PROVIDE CONTEXT FOR LIFE
One of the places where I saw the power of looking back was at the ten year anniversary of the launch of CityLife Church that I attended last week.
Back in 2011, Pastor Brad and Leah Leach planted this great church in the city of Philadelphia. Allison Park Church was their sending church, and we prayed for, gave toward, and sponsored them in their launch.
Brad and Leah did such a great job of painting the picture of the early days of the new church.
They celebrated the first few people who joined the launch team.
They told stories of a young man who used to ride his bike into the city just to be a part of this church.
They showed pictures of the first baptisms, the first services, and first few guests who had come to Christ.
They thanked those who sacrificed.
They talked about the struggles to find a permanent facility, and humorously documented by video all the many auditoriums and halls they had met in over the ten years of searching for space.
There was laughter. There were tears. Many were cheering over these past pictures and events that told the story of what they had all been through together in making this ministry happen. And something occurred in me, and I believe in the rest of the people who were there that night.
For a moment, I forgot about the tensions of 2020. The reality that my story as a person, and their story as a church goes back before all the Covid-19 restrictions, the mask and vaccination tensions, and political posturing. I remembered that Allison Park Church and my ministry has been about so much more than what I have been criticized for during this pandemic; there is much more to our story than being too much of this or not enough of that.
It also caused me to reflect back and remember how precious the ministry relationships I have truly are. I appreciated the moments that we have shared together even more, especially after twenty some months of tension. It made me want to re-engage in those relationships and make new memories moving into the future.
#4 - MEMORIES GIVE ME PERSPECTIVE AND INDUCE GRATITUDE
I walked out of the CityLife Church celebration that night floating on air! I was so happy. It is not even my church! But I had a role in helping them get started, and I was so grateful to God for the opportunity to be a part of it.
This sermon series has caused something similar to happen in my congregation as I have shared memories from the 1990s and 2000s with my own church. One person emailed me and said, “Thank you for reminding me of things I already knew, but had let slip from my mind. I am so grateful to God that I have been able to be a part of this church. Some of the names of people you mentioned, and events that happened were so incredible. I am truly thankful to have these memories and this heritage.”
That was the goal of the stones set up in Joshua 4. It was not just to remember the past event of crossing the Jordan River, but it was a call to reflect on the goodness of God. “Looking back” is a reminder to re-orient your heart from listing your problems into counting your blessings. Gratitude is so good for your attitude! It helps reboot your outlook! It is a cleansing for your soul that helps you shake off the heaviness you have been carrying around with you.
"Looking back” helps remind us all that life will not always be this way! We are part of a larger, eternal story. The things that we are worried about today, will not be the things we are worried about two years from now.
#5 - MEMORIES REMIND ME THAT MY TIME ON EARTH IS LIMITED
When I look back at the three decades that I have been the pastor of Allison Park Church, I realize that I most likely do not have three decades to go. Honestly, I am past half-time in my life at 57 (unless I live to be 114!). The moments that I have shared over the last decade are so precious and makes me want to maximize the moments that I am in right now.
I don't want my life to be consumed with worry, frustration, and stress. It is up to me to savor the moment. My responsibility is to be intentional about treasuring the people around me and the experiences we share. As one of my good friends often says, "These are the good old days!' We will be talking about what happens today years from now. Let's, therefore, live life today to the fullest.
Maybe it's time to take a few moments to look back at where you have been, and what God has brought you through. Celebrate it with the people that you love. As you look back properly, maybe the memories you share will help you effectively move forward into the future that God has planned for your life.