Psalm 78
A maskil of Asaph.
1 My people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
3 things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their descendants;
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 ancestors
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.
7 Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.
In technological revolutions, a strange thing happens: whatever is new comes to be seen as better than whatever is old. Calling a new lead pastor can feel like a small version of this. A pastor is, in a way, a new technology, bringing pastoral and administrative value to a congregation. In that kind of transition, it is easy for the new pastor, and for the community that called them, to look only forward and forget everything that brought us to this point.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Psalm 78 calls the community to honor the past: its ways of doing things, its ancestors, and all the stories of God's faithfulness through the years. It is a summons to hand those stories down, generation after generation. Remembering is more than a point of faithfulness. It roots a community in something bigger than the present moment.
Many of you have been part of the Peace community for a long time. What stories of God's faithfulness do you believe we should share with the next generation so that we stay rooted?
– Pr. Jason
God, help me not to forget all that you have done. Give me insight and courage to share your faithfulness with the next generation, at Peace and in my family. Amen.
