Looking Back

A real tendency in life is to keep looking back.   We tend to look back because we remember how life was different back then.  Perhaps we have fond memories of yesterday and how great things were.   With Mary Hopkins we sing, "Those were the days my friend ....  We'd sing and dance forever and a day."    Or we tend to look back with regret, for we remember our failures and struggles.  With David of old we might say,  "Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways;" (Psalm 25:7)   Because of his grace and goodness, God tells us he will blot out our transgressions and remember our sins no more.  (see Isaiah 43:25)   But we remember.   And so we look back with regret.

We tend to look back not just in our individual lives;  we tend to look back also in church life.   We might remember the good old days when the pews were packed with people, when ministries for all ages flourished, when communion of the saints was plentiful and palpable.  We don't need long-term memory;  we just need to look back to the days pre-COVID.   Those were the days my friend ... remember when we'd sing!  Even if we are allowed to have some people gather in-person on a Sunday, we still keep the distance.   The pews are sparse, the singing muted, and many ministries that used to be no longer are.  We look back and wonder when or if those days will ever return.

A lesson I have learned after decades of ministry is that the best thing we can do as pastors and people is to learn from the past, not live in it.   As we look back we might have regrets of things done or left undone.   We might also look back with nostalgia, and wish we could go back to the way things were.   The fact remains is that we cannot change or relive the past.   We can only change the future by what we do today.   If there are past regrets because of failure or missed opportunity, we need to immerse ourselve in God's forgiveness and grace.  So doing we will discover that because of God's compassion our wrong-filled past is cast by God to the bottom of the ocean. (Micah 7:19)   With the past forgiven, we need to commit ourselves to not repeating past mistakes or missing gospel opportunities. 

For those who look back and want to return to the 'glory days' of yesteryear (or pre-COVID) we need to be honest about the past.   We have learned a lot about church and ministry over the past decade and especially the past nine months.  I know I am generalising here, but much of church life in the west has been consumeristic.   We have been focused on what we want, what makes us feel good, our needs.   As CRCA churches we have been emphasizing over and over again that church is not about us;  it is about doing whatever we can to reach the lost for Christ. This is our mission.  And COVID has taught us that this mission moves us out of our buildings into the homes and lives of the people in our community and the world.   Since people cannot go to 'church' the 'church' now goes out to people.   Pastors and people know that they need to intentionally reach out to others.   Making phone calls.   Getting on social media.   Putting worship online.   Developing small groups (if restrictions allow).  Communicating more.   

Perhaps we need to heed the advice the apostle Paul gave to the church of Philippi:   "One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)  Paul could have lived with regret.   When it came to wrongdoing and failure, Paul is quick to admit that he was the worst of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15-16).   There were missed ministry opportunities (Acts 15:37-40).  But Paul was not going to live in the past.   Forgetting the past he pressed onward to live out the calling God had on his life.

Yes, as churches we might look back at the past.   But let us not live there.   Let us take the lessons of the past and move forward into the future with increased ministry effectiveness.   Most churches need help as they navigate this journey of learning from the past and moving forward to a preferred future.   This is where churches will benefit  from doing a Natural Church Development (NCD) church health check up.   This check up involves looking back and discovering areas of strength and weakness.  But rather than simply living in the past, a plan is developed to press onward to live out God's calling upon the church.

Perhaps looking ahead is far from your mind, both individually and/or as a church.   You are just trying to survive in the midst of this global pandemic.   But if you look back and learn, and take what you learn to shape the future, you will not just survive, but you will thrive in life and in ministry.   That's the challenge of our time, but it is also a wonderful opportunity.   We move ahead into the future God has in store for us having learned some lessons, lessons we learned by looking back.

PS:   Help is just This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. away!