Skip to main content

Being remembered

But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not know it was against me they devised schemes, saying, "Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more." But, O LORD of hosts, who judges righteously, who tests the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause. (Jeremiah 11:19-20)
The people of Jeremiah's home town, Anathoth, have conspired against him. They do not like his message from the Lord and have planned to kill him, so that "his name be remembered no more."

It's a futile scheme ultimately. Jeremiah will continue in faithful ministry for many more years and the people of his home town will die in the warfare and famine that will come when the Babylonians invade the land.

I have often thought one of the worse things that can happen to a person is to pass away and be forgotten. It's bad enough when people don't know you or can't remember your name, or don't recognize you or have never heard of you before. At such times you feel small and insignificant. But to be cut off from life and your name and memory never comes up in anybody's thoughts or discussion. To have people go on with life and never give you another thought. Don't we all want to be remembered?

So, one reason death is so formidable is that it cuts us off from the land where life and community and memories take place. The key of course is the truth in Psalm 115:12... "The LORD has remembered us; he will bless us..." If we are remembered (that is, known) by him, he will see to it that life and remembrance and good thoughts about us will always continue.

Jeremiah was a case in point. I know nothing about the people of his home town, Anathoth -- no names, no memories, no nothing. But here I am reading Jeremiah's writings 2,500 years later! I know his name. I know his story. I read his messages. I see his heart. God saw to it that he would be remembered.

God would say through Jeremiah these words, that promise us a future (29:11)... "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Remember us, Lord, and cause us to be remembered!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

clement quotes hebrews

Clement of Rome wrote to the church in Corinth around AD 90.  This is perhaps the same Clement, companion of Paul, mentioned in Philippians 4:3.  Many hold him to be the first bishop / pope in Rome, aka St. Clement I.   Clement quotes from the letter to the Hebrews.  Origin suggested that Clement was in fact the writer (as transcriber or amanuensis) of Hebrews.  Perhaps this letter began as a "word of exhortation" given by Paul at the synagogue (Heb 13:22; cf Acts 13:15) which then became a circular letter for the churches.  Other possible authors of Hebrews include Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos.  The theology is Pauline, but the transcriber is obviously second-generation (Heb. 2:3-4). At any rate, this early church leader in Rome, is already quoting Hebrews in his letter in AD 90:    CHAPTER 36  ALL BLESSINGS ARE GIVEN TO US THROUGH CHRIST This is the way, beloved, in which we find our Savior, even Jesus Christ,  the High Prie...
Post a Comment
Read more

a brief history of bcf

Blacksburg Christian Fellowship, or BCF as it is popularly known, was founded in November 1969. Prior to this time several families had been meeting for Bible study and prayer, with a particular concern that the Lord raise up an effective biblical ministry to the students of the Virginia Tech campus. Growing from these meetings, the Lord led them to begin a public ministry on Sunday mornings. The Wesley Foundation agreed to the rental of their facilities, and the first meeting was held in November 1969, with about 30 people in attendance. Since the first meeting BCF has been greatly blessed by the Lord and has seen a steady growth in ministry and in numbers. Two other local churches were formed in part from BCF. In 1974 the Lord led Houston Couch, who at that time was an Elder in BCF, to leave and start Dayspring Christian Fellowship. In 1980 Max Harris, who was a regular attender at BCF, was encouraged by the Elders and members to start a ministry which has now become Grace Cov...
2 comments
Read more

evangelicalism over the next decade

I've been contemplating Michael Spencer's blogs on the future of evangelical churches in America ( iMonk blog ). His three articles on his predicted collapse of evangelicalism are found here . It is important, I believe, to read all three articles. I find myself in agreement with much he has to say. Here are a few quotes... The determination to follow in the methodological steps of numerically successful churches will be greater than ever. The result will be, in the main, a departure from doctrine to more and more emphasis on relevance, motivation and personal success….with the result being churches further compromised and weakened in their ability to pass on the faith. ... For some time, we’ve been at a point that the decision to visit a particular evangelical church contained a fairly high risk of not hearing the Biblical Gospel. That experience will be multiplied and expanded in the years to come. Core beliefs will become less and less normative and necessary in evangelic...
6 comments
Read more