| What does it mean to value history? I guess we all probably know what history means. Valuing it would include a certain attitude towards history and the saints who have gone before us. It would be remembering history in the activities we do and the aesthetics of our worship space. There are many verses that underlie this value. I’d encourage you to do a personal study of Deuteronomy 32:7; 4:9, Psalm 78, Joshua 4:1-7, Isaiah 46:8-10, and Luke 22:19.
It is important first of all because one of the attributes of God is that he is the God of history. This means that he plans and guides the history of the world to fit his purposes. In valuing history we follow a pattern, especially prevalent in the Old Testament, of remembering the works of God. Psalm 77:11-12 says “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.” In fact there are many of what we call the historical psalms which simply retell the story of salvation.
Secondly, this is important because of our modern culture. History has often been minimized as boring and not relevant to the present. This has led to a very progressive culture in our country ever since the 1960’s. Therefore lifestyle, values, politics, theology, and technology have all been changing at a breakneck pace for a generation. Each of these things has been chasing the “newest thing”. Because people today have seen the constant chasing after something new, and how it often leads to disappointment or discontentment, they actually desire something different. Many people today are actually looking for something rooted in history, something that doesn’t change. We have that in the Church. The history of the church spans 2,000 years. Every century has proven the faithfulness of God. Modern people need what we–the Church–have, namely, historical rootedness.
How then will the church plant live out its value of history? I think it begins in our worship. I envision that our worship services will have a distinctly historical or ancient feel. This doesn’t mean that we will only sing old hymns or have a certain genre of music. But rather the environment or the feel of the service will remind us of the history that belongs to the Church. I would hope that there are things that would be familiar to Christians from the 1st century all the way through to our present time.
I think that it will also show itself in teaching. It is important that we are acquainted with the believers of the past. Do you know who Athanasius is? His name might not even be familiar to us, but I would suggest that he is one of the two or three most important Christian teachers of all time. (I think he’s on the same level as Martin Luther. ) Athanasius taught us why it is so important to believe and teach that Jesus is both human and God. It’s important that we know the stories of these Christians from the past because they can teach us so much.
In a way, we are beginning this even at St. Paul’s this fall by studying the book of Acts for our midweek Bible study. Acts is the story of the church. One of the surprising things about the book of Acts is how it ends. It doesn’t end with some climactic scene. Rather it ends almost anti-climatically, generalizing the next few years of church history. I think that there is a purpose in this ending. It shows us that the history of the church really doesn’t end with St. Paul. But rather, that the story of God’s faithfulness continues on. History teaches us that God has been faithful, he is faithful, and he will be faithful even to the end of the age. The church plant will value and celebrate this history.
Pastor Brandon Marschner
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