On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, drawing the United States into the second world war. The following day President Franklin Roosevelt, in a radio address to the nation, identified December 7 as "a date which will live in infamy." Seventy-one years later his words, and the horrific events of that day, are indeed still remembered.
You and I are marked by many different experiences that become part of the narrative of our lives. I was not yet born when Pearl Harbor was bombed, but there have been other events I have witnessed that are remembered still. These memories become mileposts along life's journey, drawing us to recall different times and circumstances that have in some way shaped us. Of course, not all of these remembrances are as tragic or painful as the events of December 7. Joy and sorrow mark our lives...opposite poles of the continuing spectrum of life. Our memories hold treasures and trials that instruct, confound, and yes, even comfort.
In the sixteenth chapter of I Chronicles, the ark of the covenant is brought into the tent David has erected. He blesses the people in the name of the Lord, reminding them of the faithfulness of God, and then the priests come before the people to sing praise to the Lord. They shout, "He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations..." These words of praise give voice through the generations to you and me, calling us to praise the One who remembers His promises. That is the good news of Christmas...God has remembered His covenant. In the midst of the challenges that mold our lives, there is hope in the One who remembers...the One who has fulfilled his promise.
Regardless of your memories of this or any other day, find courage in knowing that God has remembered His promises and honored His commitments. Joy to the world, the Lord has come!
Jim Abernathy
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