Thursday, February 14, 2013

LOOKING AHEAD BY LOOKING BACK

Do this in remembrance of me . . . For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes (I Corinthians 11:24,26).

The first full week of January each year, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, is the time for the Dakota Farm Show.  Each day thousands of people flock to the Dakota Dome on the campus of the University of South Dakota, where the event is held.  It is my custom to take a day off and go to the show each year.  It is both enjoyable and educational to take the show in and see what new is coming to agriculture.

Two blocks from the Dakota Dome is the W.H. Over Museum.  I always take time from the Show to spend a little time at the museum.  The museum has excellent exhibits from prehistoric to modern times, the ones most fascinating to me are the those of the plains Indians.  Important lessons can be learned from history if one is teachable, but it is true that one of the lessons we learn from history is that humanity does not learn from history--very well.

The museum was nearly empty while I was there.  As I visited the gift shop I asked the man behind the counter if anyone from the farm show had been over to visit.  He said, "no."  Everyone at the farm show was interested in looking ahead, but if we fail to look back we do so at our peril.  It is hard to chart an accurate course ahead if we do not stop and consider where we have been. 

Redemption history is no different.  One cannot look ahead without looking back.  If one doesn't look back to Jesus, there is no hope, there is no "after life," there is no salvation, no wholeness, no justice and no ever-lasting love.  To chart the road ahead one has to look back to Jesus Christ.

Our Father's Love,
Tom

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