Anniversary 1

Psalm 145:1-7

This weekend, we'll be celebrating Maysville's 155th anniversary. I just thought this Psalm was so fitting that I wanted to share it.

I remember when our home church was celebrating it's 100th year. Once a month, there was a little summary of each decade's acheivements. But the one that surprised me most was about the 1950s and building the current church building. I had no idea of the struggles of many of the folk (who I saw as the "old sticks in the mud") had been through. It had never really dawned on me that the same people who were now so resistant to change had been the very ones who had the vision to build something with lots of classrooms, a huge sanctuary and room to grow.

It was an amazing story of leaps of faith and perserverance--of God's rich blessings and abundant resources. Sadly, that story wasn't being shared. And the people who had experienced it themselves seemed to have forgotten their own history. Somewhere along the line, that story had become lost.

So this week we will celebrate another church's history. I'm looking forward to hearing more stories of faith and joy! But why on earth do we wait for some milestone to tell it?

Verse 4 is so powerful in light of this. We are to tell what we have experienced about God to each generation. The Bible is certainly one way of recording the stories of ancient times, but I don't believe that God quit being faithful when the canon was closed in 367 A.D.

We should be telling our grandmother's stories to our own children. We should continue to share the great deeds that God has done in our own churches and homes with those who did not experience it themselves.

Of course, the benefits are two-fold. First the children learn the stories and know their own rich heritage in the love of God. Secondly, the tellers of the story are never allowed to forget what God has done for them. It's a powerful thing.

DAILY CHALLENGE: So go forth and speak of God so that others may hear and meditate on his amazing works.