Remember, Remember

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.'"

So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. He told them, "Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' Then you can tell them, 'They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord's Covenant went across.' These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever." –Joshua 4:1-7

 

"Do you remember what you did yesterday?" began Mr. Peter Fitzroy, BTA Biblical Studies faculty, who spoke in today's Chapel service. "...What you did last week? A conversation with a good friend? An amazing sunset? Do you remember a time when you were caught in wrong doing? Something that hurt you?  Do you remember a time when God was shown to be faithful?"

 

"Memory is a strange thing," Mr. Fitzroy continued. "What is the purpose of memory? Why do we remember?" He issued a challenge – a challenge to remember. "Remember God's faithfulness, both in history, and in your own life," he said. He shared from his own experiences of the past few months since the onset of Covid. He needed the respite of the summer months; at the same time he found himself in "somewhat of a funk." He mourned the loss of what would not be, and what would be different, when school resumed. He realized he was also in a place of spiritual dryness, not seeking the Lord in devotional time and prayer. He also realized that in the midst of God's steadfast faithfulness to him, he was not being faithful.

 

We are no different than the nation of Israel, Mr. Fitzroy explained. In our unfaithfulness, we get a calling, a calling to remember. In the above scripture passage, the Israelites were told to set up twelve stones, to be a memorial forever of God's faithfulness. "Reminding oneself of times when God has been faithful should become a valued spiritual practice," Mr. Fitzroy said. The Old Testament could be summarized in this one word: 'Remember.'" When Mr. Fitzroy started to remember God's faithfulness, he realized how much he had been blessed.

 

What can help us – cause us – to remember? "Sing! Sing to the Lord. Psalm 33:1 says, Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. How can we uphold this biblical mandate in the age of Covid? We aren't allowed to sing in the building or sing together. The answer? Our hearts can sing! Isaiah 65:14 promises, My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts; Colossians 3:16 urges, Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts; Ephesians 5:19 instructs, Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord."

 

True worship comes not from our mouths but from our hearts, Mr. Fitzroy reminded. Ramsey Fambrough, Caleb Kang, and Mrs. Peltz played a medley of "The Steadfast Love of the Lord Never Ceases," and the hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness." Mr. Fitzroy closed by urging all to meditate on those two songs, "so your hearts will sing as you remember the faithfulness of the Lord."