Day 268: A date which will live in infamy

DAY 268

                              Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic                     

A series of daily reflections for people of faith

by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland

pastorrobert@paxpres.org

Week Thirty-nine    Monday 7 December 2020

“A date which will live in infamy” 

“Mr. Vice President, and Mr. Speaker, and members of the Senate and House of Representatives: Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” - President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 8 December 1941.

Dates populate our individual and collective histories, some marking single occurrences such as the above, others recurring annually - birthdays, anniversaries, and religious holidays like Easter and Christmas. It is probable that the mention of the “date which will live in infamy” would draw a blank from the majority of Americans, and a disappointing number when asked about another date – 9/11 – would similarly respond. But ask anyone if they know what December 25^th is and they all will know. The same could probably be said of the 4^th of July. And December 7^th? It will always be Pearl Harbor Day, “a date which will live in infamy,” remembered or not.   

“Why is this night different from all other nights?” Every year on the day Passover or Seder begins, this question is asked at the evening meal. It is an annual way of remembering what happened so long ago when God delivered the Jews out of bondage in Egypt. It’s another way of saying we don’t want to ever forget what happened so long ago.

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, (and to a lesser extent Holy Saturday) and Easter Sunday are intended to serve us in the same way, ‘never forgetting’ dates. They are, however, anything but infamous, marking rather the most significant events in human history. Their ‘anchor date’ is Christmas, fast approaching for us all a date, thankfully, that will indeed live forever. As we look forward to it, we also pause to remember the 2,403 Americans who died on that “infamous date.”

Reflective question: What are your most important dates you don’t want to forget and why?

Reflective Scripture: Psalm 77:11 – I will remember the deeds of the Lord; …”

Reflective hymn:

“Lead Me to Calvary” – Jennie Hussey (1874-1958)

King of my life, I crown Thee now, Thine shall the glory be,

Lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow, lead me to Calvary.

Lest I forget Gethsemane, lest I forget Thy agony,

Lest I forget Thy love for me, lead me to Calvary.