29th May 2023

Last week Keith took us back through moments from his life in an entertaining and thought-provoking way. Then on Sunday Sam invited us to think back to times when we felt broken and in need of God’s grace. And the other day an old schoolfriend, who I have not seen for almost fifty years, got in touch through the medium of Facebook.

All of these things need the exercise of memories. What strange, wonderful and precious things memories are. Some things from many years ago stick sharply with us; other things from last week seem to be losing focus already. We might remember faces but not names; recall words we have heard but not words that we ourselves uttered.

The Facebook meeting after many years triggered some interesting online conversations. It seems that, compared to one of my closest friends, I have a very good memory for the girls we met! Yet he is able to describe buildings at our old school that I had forgotten even existed. It raises questions about how much any of us can rely on our memories and the memories of others.

Yet through all of this, we have had God walking with us. Presumably it’s not so difficult for God to know about those hard times, those embarrassing encounters with pretty girls and those sporting triumphs because not only was God there with us then but, in a sense that is VERY hard for us to understand, still is back there with us now. With us yesterday, today and forever and guiding us into the future.

Nick Parsons