Being the Church Today: Past

Remember our history, friends, and be warned. All our ancestors were led by the providential Cloud and taken miraculously through the Sea. They went through the waters, in a baptism like ours, as Moses led them from enslaving death to salvation life. They all ate and drank identical food and drink, meals provided daily by God. They drank from the Rock, God’s fountain for them that stayed with them wherever they were. And the Rock was Christ. But just experiencing God’s wonder and grace didn’t seem to mean much—most of them were defeated by temptation during the hard times in the desert, and God was not pleased.  1 Corinthians 10:1-5

Paul has held the Corinthians accountable up to this point on all the ways they have broken covenant with each other.  He has called them on the carpet when it comes to understandings of baptism, communion, relationships, power, and being the church.  But in chapter 10, he says, "Remember OUR history..."  Here is the thing, it was NOT really the Corinthians history.  We suspect some, even many, in the Corinthian church were Gentiles, not Jewish.  Paul is taking the Jewish story and laying it over the story of this new church start.  He is offering a story of a past that no one in that church actually lived and many had never really learned.  Being the church today means remembering our past, but not being bound by it.  It is a difficult dance, a two-step that might get our feet/lives all twisted and tangled and cause us to fall flat on our fact.

Here is why: when we remember our past it is easy to slip into nostalgia.  Wasn't it great the pews were full (without asking the harder question, why were they full?  What were the cultural conditions that encouraged church attendance...even mandated it in some communities? And is it just about people in the pews or do we want to people to be engaged beyond the hour on Sunday?).  Or wasn't it great when the Sunday School was bigger (without looking at the truth that there is a good reason they called that time/generation the Baby BOOM!).  Or wasn't it great when the pastor gave longer sermons...just kidding no one remembers or looks back fondly on that.

Looking at the past is difficult.  Think about this in your own life.  Can you really tell the story of every single day in your life without notes?  Can you really remember what it felt like on November 5, 1989?  I don't even remember that date...and wait just a second...I had to stop, count backwards to recall I was in eight grade.  I don't have the foggiest idea what happened on that date.  I don't really remember if it was a good day or even a good year.  I think Middle School was an okay time.  I played in the bad, work on one of those original Mac Computers with the green screen, where you had to type commands, and the cursor blinked at you non-stop just mocking you!!

What do you remember about the past (1989 or some other year)?  How might that both be truth and somewhat generalized by our minds?  One of the truths about Judaism is that it is a narrative religion.   For Jewish people, the story, their story and God's story mingling and merging together is what matters.  Telling the story time and time and time again is what matters and helps them make sense.  In order to understand the story you have to keep telling it and you need to keep including people into the widening story of God's presence.  Your story is, on the one hand, yours.  But your story intersects with other's stories too.  Your story is on-going and unfolding.  Your story is God's story mingling together.  That means, you need to remember, look back to when YOU were led through the waters (perhaps metaphorically or literally!).  When were YOU eating, drinking identical food with others (beyond the church potlucks)?  How can we let God's story in Scripture be a lens for our story?  That is the question facing and challenging us to be the church today!

Blessings to you and me as we try to take these words and let them guide us for the living out of these days.