Suppose someone asked me what I ate for lunch a week ago. My answer would be: “I have no idea.” After visiting a friend, what if I was asked: “What was that magazine that was sitting on the end table?” My answer: “I don’t even remember the end table, let alone a magazine that was on it.” This is the way we humans operate. If we took notice of all of the inputs that our senses encounter, we could not function. It would be overwhelming. There is simply too much data to process. Fortunately, we have built-in mental filters, enabling us to disregard those things that our brains regard as unimportant.
This does not mean that we don’t comprehend things. I know stuff! I can efficiently speak by twisting my mouth and tongue in strange contortions, while at the same time blowing air through my vocal cords. I am quite capable of parsing cryptic symbols on a page to decipher what they mean. I can get computers to do things. I can even ride a bike. On a more personal note, somehow, I can imperfectly read the body language of people with whom I interact. Most of the time, I’m not even aware that I’m doing these things. Who knows how all of this happens? The mechanisms are buried deep within my subconscious.
This is not all. There is time left over. After we’ve done what is needed to keep us living, what is next? We have choices. We could zone out in front of a TV. We might sleep, self-medicate, or get into mental feedback loops. Despite these tendencies, time marches on okay for a while. That is, until the world doesn’t behave as we want it to. We think: “I hate this, it’s not fair.” So, what do we do? Our voice gets loud as we shout out our “what for.” In athletics terms, perhaps these are the times when it is better to return to the basics. What have we forgotten? What are we missing? Are there better ways for us to occupy our time?
Faith in God is a tenuous thing. It is so easy to get busy with the clutter of life. The still small voice of the Holy Spirit gets drowned out by things right before us. The physical seems more real and relevant than the unseen spiritual. Tensions that consume us push out any desire for prayer. When evil presents itself, it is easy to think: “God doesn’t see, maybe I’ll do the bad thing.” How do we avoid going off track?
God knows our frailties and because he understands, he makes accommodations. How? Sometimes he gives us prayers to memorize. Other times he inspires songs and hymns. Memorial services or monuments can serve as helpful visible reminders. Fellow believers can keep us accountable. Let’s look at some examples:
Jesus taught his disciples the Lord’s prayer. Believers in the early church repeated it three times a day. I’m lucky if I remember once a month.
The book of Psalms is packed with both prayers and hymns. It inspires many modern song lyrics. I do better with these. It is easier to remember words of truth when they are accompanied by a melody. The following is based on Ps. 103.
Monuments help us to consider the things that God has done. Christians use the symbol of the cross for this purpose. It brings to mind how Jesus transformed a horrible torture device. It was designed to be a Roman tool for death and humiliation. Now it represents the promise of life for us all. Old Testament believers also had physical reminders. Consider the following instructions, given by God. Its purpose was to help the people recall their Jordan river crossing after entering the promised land.
Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight. … When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ Then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. … So, these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever. (Josh. 4:2, 6-7).
For thousands of years, annual Passover celebrations connect Jews with their heritage. All over the world, this memorial is the means by which each person actively relives God’s deliverance. The children of Israel were a subjugated people under the bondage of oppression and slavery. Now they are free people who are empowered to be a light to the nations.
The Passover and the Eucharist are both designed to be done in community. All over the world, people of different cultural backgrounds celebrate their shared faith. They may be separated geographically, but they are united in spirit. Immediately before Jesus willingly laid down his life, he presided over the first Eucharist in the presence of his disciples:
When he had given thanks, he broke the bread and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise, the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. (Luke 22:19-20).
To this day, the Christian Communion sacrament is regularly observed. Unfortunately, I fear that many of us see it as an afterthought. I recall many times coming to church and seeing the communion platters set out. My thought: “Oh, It’s communion week.” At the end of the service, we go through a quick distribution of the elements. Then, we consume the bread and the grape juice, which is wrapped in short prayers. It’s over almost before it begins. I wonder. Is the Church is beginning to forget its importance?
Faith lives in community. If I’m the only one believing a thing, I’ll likely fall away. The book of Ecclesiastes tells us that a “cord of three is not easily broken.” How much stronger is a cord of billions? Unfortunately, the modern church is splintered into thousands of denominations. Even individual church fellowships all too often fracture into gossiping subgroups. Few outsiders in our day can say, “See how they love each other.”
What happens when monuments are torn down, remembrances become empty rituals, and the songs we sing are less than good? How about when we lose our sense of shared community? We begin to forget. Our faith drifts and its foundations start to crack. The things that were treasured in the past lose their impact. Eventually if the trend continues, a time will come when we are asked: “What it is that you believe?” A likely reply: “I’m sorry, I forgot.”
Thanks for listening,secondlooknow.com
WOW Dan!!!
This SO resonates with me….I love that you relate to us all…. and you share and teach us good things and the application of the article is vital for me, my own spiritual health..
Thanks, Viv
And maybe l pass that pile of old rocks so often they become as invisible as the magazine?