- my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, without whom I would be nothing, but through whom I have
eternal life;
- my Christian family at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in West Columbia, SC, without whom I may
never been able to attend ILC for as long as I have (or will);
- the faculty of ILC for allowing me to present these chapel addresses at ILC.
*Note: The chapels listed on this page are ones that I had the privelege of sharing with the students at Immanuel Lutheran College. Some of them are dated the day that I gave the chapel, but unfortunately not all of them were. All hymns are taken from The Lutheran Hymnal.
Body: Tonight I want to talk about remembering. Human beings are very forgetful creatures. Actually, there was a period over this summer when I thought I had lost some, if not all of my childhood memories. I was trying to remember something particular about my childhood, but I couldn't. Not only that, I couldn't remember a single detail involving that particular memory. I thought I was forgetting who I was.
Then, near the beginning of this school year I had a conversation with a friend that triggered a memory from my past. That one memory opened the floodgate for all of my childhood memories. I remembered my sister helping to take care of me when I, in my youthful ignorance, almost blew up my thumb by throwing a firecracker. I remembered busting my head open at daycare and having my brother hold me as my daycare supervisor drove me to the hospital. I remembered my dad dressing me for school in the morning when I was little. I remembered my first bike, which I got for Christmas one year. And yes, I remembered my mother rocking me to sleep. As I was enjoying these and other memories, it struck me that all of these memories have a common denominator. God was there caring for me throughout all of them. My Heavenly Father was providing for my nurture and protection when I was in the hospital or being cared for at home. He was providing for my daily needs when I was being dressed by my father. He was providing for my enjoyment when I received my first bicycle. He was providing for my comfort when my mother rocked me to sleep. Throughout the good or bad situations in my past, I can clearly see now that my Heavenly Father was providing for me.
A man by the name of Asaph reached this same conclusion when he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write Psalm 77. READ IT! Can you see the change in tone in Asaph's words? He begins by stating the fact that his soul "refused to be comforted." In verse three, God's remembrance caused him to be troubled. Why? Perhaps because he remembered God's righteousness and his own sinfulness. But as he continues to meditate and make diligent search with his spirit, he is reminded that God is a gracious God. READ VS. 10-15 "Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?" The conclusion Asaph comes to is "no." For God redeemed His people, His sinful people who were deserving of hell. God does the same for the sinful people deserving of hell assembled here tonight, and not us only but the whole world. He has washed us clean by the blood of His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Two of the primary purposes of history classes taught in public institutions is to learn how we got to our current position in the present and to discover past mistakes in order that we do not make them in the future. The history teachers of the world use the past to try to shape the future. We Christians have a great advantage over those who study history from a secular standpoint. For Christians, the past not only shows how we got to the present but also where we are going in the future. READ JOB 19:25-27 The past life, sacrifice, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has cleansed us from our sins so that we are presently through faith sons of God and through this faith in Christ as our Savior we shall see God face to face in heaven when we die. The next time you feel abandoned and lost as Asaph did meditate on God's works of old and be comforted by the fact that our saving God, "He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you'" (Hebrews 13:5). Amen.
Hymn: "Grace Has a Thrilling Sound" Worship Supplement (to TLH) 778
