By Not Known
There are many events of significance in life that can and should be celebrated. They range from moving into a new home to having a new job or career or welcoming a new birth. These significant milestones mark changes or progress in life. Celebrations are in place to remember the occasion that brings blessings or renewal or rewards from new changes.
The more memorable events in our lives are the ones in which we have a significant emotional attachment. Teenagers who have come of age celebrate when they turn 21. Others would remember significant milestone birthdays like 30, 60 or 100. Still others celebrate meaningfully the number of years they are married like the diamond jubilee wedding anniversary.
Groups celebrate significant passing of time by remembering their founding or acknowledge the crossing of a certain threshold in time. They are to commemorate sustenance, survival, or faithfulness. People who celebrate, remember, demonstrate and appreciate the passage of time and the lessons learnt. They are also used to encourage those present to persevere, prod on and to look forward to more to come.
There is another aspect of such celebrations: the importance and meaning of history. The word “history” is derived from the Greek noun “historia” meaning inquiry or research. It is to have a set of chronological order or systematic account of what had happened in the intervening years.
History has the capacity to help us come to certain conclusions from the past events and assist us in not just having a memory of things past but also of lessons learnt that would lead to an understanding of who we are and what we stand for. History makes life richer and gives meaning to connecting with what had happened. Without history, we are without significance.
The Jewish community makes it a point to come together annually to celebrate and to remember God’s involvement in their lives. They celebrate the Passover, Rosh Hashanah (new year), Yom Kippur (day of atonement), Sukkoth (desert wonderings), Hanukkah (lights), and other occasions. More importantly they celebrate the Sabbath weekly. They remember Yahweh.
As ORPC celebrates our 156th anniversary, we remember God and His goodness towards us; He has built us up and groomed us to be what we are today. We are the church that God has founded and by His grace, we will continue to ensure that future generations celebrate every year this same goodness.
However, ORPC also testifies to the calling of God when she was founded in 1856. It is to be a community of believers who would remain faithful to that calling to share the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is what we are remembering and why we are celebrating today.
Peter Poon