Revolution (Grace Vineyard Youth Group)

   I know that this isn't exactly about faith, but it has implications that are.  This is a myspace reprint.

    I think that tradition is quickly becoming something that we are moving perilously to the back-burner of our collective consciousness.  Few people under 25 remember the days when "Wizard of Oz" was played yearly on TV---and everyone had to watch it.  Few people hold to some of those old traditions that we sometimes don't even understand, and I don't think that it is often a good thing.  In fact, I think it can be pretty dangerous. 

    The Bible set up important feast days and celebrations that were sacremental for the Jews.  The reason: to communicate the story and the purposes behind history through the generations.  We have stopped these things in modern America, party because we've decided we are too busy, partly because we have forgotten the importance.

    Do you doubt me?  You might be saying, "not me."  I'll give you a test, ready?

    What did you do last Veteran's Day, Memorial Day, Pearl Harbor Day? 

    You don't remember, do you?  Maybe if you think back, you travelled somewhere, or went to a theme park, or something.  Did you go to a cemetary with the family, or a war memorial, or discuss what happened on December 7th, 1941, "A day which will live in infamy?"  I didn't. 

    Nope, we moved those days all to 3 day weekends (they weren't originally like that).  Veteran's Day was celebrated on November 11th to commemorate the armistice of 1918 ending the first World War, and only celebrated as a 3-day weekend starting in 1971.  When initially instituted all business stopped for the day at 11 AM every November 11th.  There were parades and people told their children stories of the War (later WW2 was commemorated by this date also).
    E.J. Dionne has  written about how this "rise of the 3-day weekend" has hurt our country" in the failure to mix the socio-economic strata, which increases social mobility.  But, that isn't interesting to most people.  What is, though, is a complete loss of what it means to be Christian, American, and the other things that we lost our identity with when we forget our rich history.  It seems this is a conituation of the cultural devastation brought about by the zeitgiest of the 1960's, which there is very little doubt was one of the most damaging times culturally in our history. 

    We need to get back to our history, lest we repeat it.  If we don't teach about the sacrifice of good men that it took to end the tyranny of the Axis powers in WW2 (for instance) we will see the rise of another Hitler in our time.  We don't just need to keep the traditions, we need to understand them. 

    Let's start with a little one, ok?  Each year there is one song that is traditionally sung in much of the Western World at 12:00 AM New Year's Day.  Do you remember what it is? 
    "Auld Lang Syne" is a song that reaches into Scottish Antiquity.  The Lyrics to the part that we traditionally sing are as follows:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, 
And never brought to mind? 
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, 
And auld lang syne! 

Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear, 
For auld lang syne. 
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet, 
For auld lang syne. 

    The meaning to this song could loosely be translated thus:

Should old acquintances be forgotten about
And never remembered again?
Should old acquintances be forgotten about?
For the good times (as in "we toast to the good memories")

For the good times, my dear friends
For the good times
We drink the cup of our kind friendship (into the future)
For the good times

    The meaning is intended to be (in true Scottish style) a toast to the good times gone by, a celebration of friendship past and present, and a promise to never forget the good things we have shared.  Yes, the language is antiquated, but the meaning is important. 
    Let's not forget the things of this year, or as much of our past as we can, good and bad, promise to go forward, and to live with the full weight of our past behind us.  When we forget the past, our traditions, our heritage, we dishonor the good and noble, and we doom ourselves and our progeny to repeat our mistakes.

Bonus points, for those in Revolution who tell me on Wednesday "Auld (pronounced like "awwld") lang syne (pronounced like "zine")"

Auld Lang Syne, my dears,
rY