"Are You Losing Your Memories?"
May 29, 2005

The Old Testament Lesson: Deuteronomy 5: 12 - 15
The New Testament Lesson: II Peter 1: 12 - 15

To call people to use our past to move into the future of God’s work for us.

I.  Memories must become experience in order to be of use to us.
   A. Story of the man who’s wife feared he was getting Alzheimer’s
        1. The doctor examined him and said he’s just getting forgetful.
            a. suggested he write things down.
        2. Watching TV, wife sent him to the kitchen to get a bowl of ice cream.
            a. told he he’d better write it down.  but he promised he’d remember.
            b. one by one she added hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry.
            c. each time she told him he’d better write it down.
            d. Each time he said he could remember that much.  Stomped off.
        3. After quite some time, he finally returned.
            a. he was holding a tray.
            b. on the tray was scrambled eggs, bacon and orange juice.
        4. His wife glared at him and said, “you forgot my toast!”
   B. Memory is a funny thing.
        1. As we look over our past, we remember the strangest things.
            a. some memories are those things that brought us great pleasure.
            b. Others are times of terrible stress.
        2. Times when we’d really like to remember something, but can’t.
            a. It can often be something very important.
            b. struggle as we might, we can’t bring it to mind.
            c. then, when we simply forget about it, it comes to us!
        3. When we forget about our past with God, we’re in trouble.
            a. The early church leaders were very keen on people remembering.
            b. knew if they failed to remember their lessons, they were doomed.
            c. They needed more than simple memories.  Because…
   C. Memories must become experience in order to be of use to us.
        1. The reality is that memory itself is not experience.
        2. I remember a quip about a meeting of a bishops council.
            a pastor was recommended stating he had 15 years experience The bishop replied, no.  He’s got 5 years experience repeated 3 times
        3. Many people go through life without gaining and experience.
            a. They can remember what has happened
            b. but they fail to learn anything.
        3. I see that all the time in second marriages (and 3^rd and 4^th and...)
            a. divorced people come into my office to talk about new marriage.
            b. They can tell me what happened before, but not why
            c. I then watch them make the same mistakes again.
        4. Memory must be combined with understanding.

II.  The importance of remembering the past is to set a good future direction.  That’s Why God has given us memory in the first place!
   A. One famous quote from George Santayana in The Life of Reason.
        1.Those who can not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
            a. This should make sense to most of us.
            b. He was writing in the light of WWI
            c. There were lessons to be learned from that war.
            d. Our failure to do so is one of the primary causes of WWII
            e. People repeated mistakes and had to go through another conflict.
        2. There is a corollary: Those who can not learn from good events in history are unlikely to repeat them!
            a. There are times when we get lucky.
            b. As the saying goes, even a blind pig finds a truffle now and again.
            c. But, if in those good times, we learn our lessons, we can repeat it!
        3. Churches are notorious from not learning the causes of good events.
            a. Thus they repeat the actions that when well without knowing why.
            b. eventually, they lose steam, but continue the routine.
            c. Only long after a program is dead do they ask why it isn’t working.
            d. They should have asked why is this working long ago!
   B. When we understand why something is working can we look forward.
        1. This is true in our personal walk of faith.
            a. There are times when we have felt very close to God.
            b. What were you doing to promote that?
            c. How was that helping you understand God?
        2. During Lent a few years ago, I chose to give up 30 minutes of sleep!
            a. used that time to get up and pray intensively before starting the day.
            b. It was an especially rich and rewarding time in faith.
            c. Then, lent was over and I reclaimed my sleep.
            d. Suddenly, I didn’t feel quite as close to God.
            e. I changed that early morning prayer as a regular habit.
        3. What are the things that you do that enrich your faith.
    C. It is also true that we should use experiences like that in the church.
        1. What are the methods we have used that have had great impact on our community?
        2. How can we be more effective in reaching out? in Education?
        3. Remembering what has worked in the past and knowing why will help us choose a good direction for the future.

III.  How can we be sure to learn from the past and avoid it’s problems?
   A. In order to learn from the past, you must first remember it.
        1. If we don’t remember the past, we can’t learn from
        2. Remembering the past is simple, just keep repeating it!
        3. That’s what Peter was doing with the church.
            a. He said, I know you know these things already.
            b. But I intend to keep on telling them to you.
            c. because I want to establish the Truth in you.
            d.  He vowed to do that as long as He was alive.
        4. Have you noticed which or our hymns are the most popular?
            a. Is it the new and unfamiliar ones?
            b. No.  It’s the ones we sing about 4 times a year.
            c. People actually like the familiar, especially when it’s the truth!
        5. So, keep rehearsing the past.
   B. In order to learn from the past, you must also understand it.
        1. Not just knowing what worked or failed, but knowing why as well.
        2. Scientists know that just as much can be learned from a failed experiment as from and success.
            a. Sometimes you can learn more. The key is in the analysis.
        3. that principle is certainly true in the early days of the space race.
            a. One of the spectacular failures was in the early rockets.
            b. They tried to launch a rocket only to have it fall off the pad.
            c. realized that you had to keep it held to the pad while thrust built.
            d. invented the clamps that hold it down until that point.
        4. We must know why something went well or poorly.
   C. In order to learn from the past, you must relate it to the present!
        1. You can’t just lift a practice from the past and fit it to today!
        2. Many churches had very successful Women’s ministries.
            a. The women gathered in homes for study and at the church for lunch
            b. Few women worked and the churches were all in the neighborhood.
            c. today, most of the Women’s Associations are gone or fading.
            d. Most younger women work, and churches are more spread out.
            e. Ministrie have to adapt to new circumstances to meet today’s needs

Friends, God is at work.  I guarantee it!  The question is not trying to get God to do something in our midst.  The question is trying to discern what God is doing and getting in line with it.   Rehearsing the lessons of our past with God is an important part of how to set direction.  But it is not simply doing the same things over and over again, especially if they are no longer working.  It is learning the lessons of the past and applying those principles to the present that will get us to God’s future.

And as you go from this place, may you walk in the way of Christ Jesus and May God always find you faithful!