Celebrating Anniversaries
by JM · 28 July 2008

Today I received an email marking the 8th anniversary of the Anglican Mission in the Americas. Tomorrow is my wedding anniversary. Yesterday an acquaintance of mine marked his 17th wedding anniversary while detained in his adopted country apart from his wife and children. While on their way out of the country last week, their car collided with another vehicle and at least one of the two passengers was killed. The family who sustained the losses is a prominent Muslim family, and they have pressed charges against my friend, so although he was declared not at fault for the accident, he is being detained in the country awaiting trial. Please join me in praying for him and his family.

In the midst of this week of anniversaries, I am struck by the importance of celebrating anniversaries as remembrance. Certain celebrations and feast-days are proscribed for Israel in the Old Testament. The overall effect is one of helping them to remember and to teach about who God is and what He has done for them. As Christians, we tend to celebrate certain holidays, and those of us who follow a version of a church calendar have even richer opportunities to remember who God is and what He has done on a regular cycle. Yet, how many of us celebrate conversion the way we celebrate a birthday or a wedding anniversary? Some of us have a particular date in the yearly calendar when we can remember our new birth in Christ, but those of us who do not are no less able to select a day to do this.

In light of this idea, which is new to me, I will endeavor to celebrate my new life in Christ on 25 October. Why that day? Since university I have enjoyed celebrating St. Crispin's Day, traditionally marked on 25 October. This began during my rugby days when I would recite the St. Crispin's Day speech penned by William Shakespeare and placed in the mouth of King Henry V prior to the battle of Agincourt. "For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother..." For me, this is a significant day to celebrate on many levels. Jesus took on the forces of evil and shed his blood upon the cross in order to redeem me into his kingdom. That said, parallels break down quickly between the two scenes of Golgotha and Agincourt. Henry needed the help of every one of his men that day and so needed to marshal their courage. Jesus accomplished redemption without my help. As one who is redeemed by his grace, however, all that I am is his and he is mine. Yet, like Paul, I strive to know him more and to grasp the purpose for which Christ grasped ahold of me. And I look forward to yet another anniversary we will never cease to celebrate—the wedding feast of the Lamb.

Let me know what you think of this idea by posting a comment below. /NV/

 

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