The radio and TV news are full of remembrance today, memories, and tributes to a president whose life was cut too short by an act of evil we still cannot fathom. President Kennedy's death still shocks us, still hurts us, fifty years later.
We remember a president, here, between Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving. On Veteran's Day, we think of the human contribution to the making of our nation - so thankful, so proud, of the soldiers, sailors, marines, and flyboys who have secured our nation's borders and her future. Then, at Thanksgiving more than any time in the year, as a nation we pause to recognize the hand of God in our history.
Today, as we remember President Kennedy, and Dallas, and the shocking scene that will play out across our televisions again and again today - red and yellow roses strewn in a car, that pink suit with the life of a president soaked up in its fabric, the tiny boy saluting on the steps as his father's casket passes by - it is good to remember that God still reigns. In the hard times, God still moves. He is still near. His view is eternal, His purposes reach far beyond our sight.
During the founding period, our pilgrims and pioneers never forgot that. When half of the pilgrims died that first winter, they still were able to thank God for His hand in providing harvest the next year. The privation and struggle of their daily experience brought them to their knees in dependence. Their nearness to the land and nearness to the raw edge of life brought them near to God in realization of their need for Him.
As life grows easier, the sense of dependence disappears. We tend to forget the struggles of the pilgrims as we barbeque on our back deck. As the years pass away, our national memory grows fuzzy. There are untold tens of thousands of men whom we celebrate and praise on Veteran's Day, but forget by Thanksgiving. When hard times hit, soft people are surprised and overtaken. Trials seem to bring despair, instead of renewed faith. Today is so noisy with the static of constant communication, continual news cycles, and sensory overload; perhaps we cannot hear the voices of the past.
When a nation loses its memory, it is in danger of losing its soul. Memory is ballast to hold us on course. If we forget the sacrifices that went into weaving the fabric of our society, we are in danger of tearing that fabric apart. When we forget the habit of dependence on God, we are in danger of forgetting God.
“When you have eaten and are full,” said God to Israel in Deut. 6, “then beware lest you forget.”
So, yes, let us remember President Kennedy today. Let's remember a young man, with a young family, serving a nation somehow so much more innocent than it is today. Remember a man who had already nearly given his life and his health for his country. Remember a family who has given so much to this nation, for no matter what you think of the Kennedy's politics, you must admire their generosity of spirit and dedication to service. Remember.
But as we remember, as we look back this month across a tableau of those who have shaped our country, let's teach our children Whose hand charts the course. Let's learn the lessons of the past, and apply them to the future. Let's show them that no matter how deep today's struggle, how desperate the trial, we can rely on God to lead us out of it. That we follow Him not around the darkest valleys, but through them. Remember.
For Him,
Cara & Patti
Classic Christianity
We remember a president, here, between Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving. On Veteran's Day, we think of the human contribution to the making of our nation - so thankful, so proud, of the soldiers, sailors, marines, and flyboys who have secured our nation's borders and her future. Then, at Thanksgiving more than any time in the year, as a nation we pause to recognize the hand of God in our history.
Today, as we remember President Kennedy, and Dallas, and the shocking scene that will play out across our televisions again and again today - red and yellow roses strewn in a car, that pink suit with the life of a president soaked up in its fabric, the tiny boy saluting on the steps as his father's casket passes by - it is good to remember that God still reigns. In the hard times, God still moves. He is still near. His view is eternal, His purposes reach far beyond our sight.
During the founding period, our pilgrims and pioneers never forgot that. When half of the pilgrims died that first winter, they still were able to thank God for His hand in providing harvest the next year. The privation and struggle of their daily experience brought them to their knees in dependence. Their nearness to the land and nearness to the raw edge of life brought them near to God in realization of their need for Him.
As life grows easier, the sense of dependence disappears. We tend to forget the struggles of the pilgrims as we barbeque on our back deck. As the years pass away, our national memory grows fuzzy. There are untold tens of thousands of men whom we celebrate and praise on Veteran's Day, but forget by Thanksgiving. When hard times hit, soft people are surprised and overtaken. Trials seem to bring despair, instead of renewed faith. Today is so noisy with the static of constant communication, continual news cycles, and sensory overload; perhaps we cannot hear the voices of the past.
When a nation loses its memory, it is in danger of losing its soul. Memory is ballast to hold us on course. If we forget the sacrifices that went into weaving the fabric of our society, we are in danger of tearing that fabric apart. When we forget the habit of dependence on God, we are in danger of forgetting God.
“When you have eaten and are full,” said God to Israel in Deut. 6, “then beware lest you forget.”
So, yes, let us remember President Kennedy today. Let's remember a young man, with a young family, serving a nation somehow so much more innocent than it is today. Remember a man who had already nearly given his life and his health for his country. Remember a family who has given so much to this nation, for no matter what you think of the Kennedy's politics, you must admire their generosity of spirit and dedication to service. Remember.
But as we remember, as we look back this month across a tableau of those who have shaped our country, let's teach our children Whose hand charts the course. Let's learn the lessons of the past, and apply them to the future. Let's show them that no matter how deep today's struggle, how desperate the trial, we can rely on God to lead us out of it. That we follow Him not around the darkest valleys, but through them. Remember.
For Him,
Cara & Patti
Classic Christianity
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