I know that I'm to die soon; the Master has made that quite clear to me.
And so I am especially eager that you have all this down in black and white so that after I die, you'll have it for ready reference.
If you knew you were going to die soon, are there things you would
want to do, people you
would want to see? Are there stories you would want to
tell to have recorded for future generations?
We find Peter in this situation in the reading for today: recognizing
his approaching death. He wants to prepare his followers, just as years earlier
Jesus prepared him.
Peter wants to guarantee certain facts are
kept straight; he wants to ensure the Truth is shared over and over. He wants
future generations to understand about Jesus' life and death. The stories of
Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Light, needed to be preserved.
Peter, an eyewitness to these facts gave
testimony to them instructing his followers to remember the Truth. Family stories
are important and need to be preserved so future generations recognize where
they came from, identify their roots, and value their heritage. This knowledge
can keep us from falling back into bondage and help us to maintain a forward
course.
Peter reminds his people to keep telling
the story. He affirms the facts of Old Testament prophecy and the revelation of
history in the New Testament. Our ancestors may have kept journals or diaries
which could provide us with similar testimonials. We gain a fresh understanding
of who we are when we learn about 'whose' we are; when we understand the story
leading up to this day.
No comments:
Post a Comment