The Tension of an Anniversary

Adventists are both ardent over and allergic to anniversaries. Perhaps it is our enthusiasm with prophetic dates or it’s the shadow of 1844 disappointment. Maybe it is the clash of “occupying” until our Lord returns with the “I come quickly” statements in Scripture. These temporal celebrations make us sentimentally nostalgic and soberly uncomfortable at the same time. In a year in which many organizations and events are celebrating some anniversary, the Adventist Review notably marks its 175th birthday.

On one side, we have much to be joyful for after 175 years. Think about it: when is the last time you heard a 175th anything? (When the United States celebrated its 175th anniversary, Harry S. Truman was the president!) The Adventist Review, with its different reiterations and titles, has persevered through the decades, being older than even the Seventh-day Adventist name, church structure, and denomination. It has endured through ups and downs of civil and world wars, economic swings, explosions in social issues, causes, ideologies, and theologies. Through each age it has witnessed the growth of the Adventist movement beyond the North American continent and continues to unite God’s people all around the world. The Review reports on news, stories, features, and testimonies from all the continents of the world, except Antarctica. It is reproduced in multiple languages and is transmitted throughout the globe in various forms. We indeed are thankful for the longevity of the ministry of this journal.

But also, after 175 years, we are still here waiting for the coming of Christ. Some have postulated that Christ has not returned because the church has, or has not yet, adopted some idea, program, activity, book, reform, or endeavor. “If the church would only do this one thing, then Jesus would come.” Regardless of whether it is evangelism to the ends of the earth, the reproduction of Christ’s character in His people, or other eschatological narrative, many Adventists feel uncomfortable with the notion of celebrating an anniversary, thinking it entails some level of failure. How can we be celebrating when Jesus isn’t here yet?

One side looks like ironic triumphalism amid disappointment, while the other a wet blanket killjoy melancholia over celebration. How are we to approach the 175th anniversary?

The tension between memory and mission sets the tone for proper observance.

Adventists should celebrate, commemorate, or mark (whatever verb makes you comfortable) the 175th in the same manner that we do best: by remembering it the same way we remember the Sabbath day. We are to eschew both the extremes of elation and emptiness. As we do on Sabbath, we remember to keep the Sabbath day, in celebration, in joy, and in memorial. Yet we know that we have work to do when the Sabbath sunsets, so we glean strength, inspiration, encouragement, and vision for the work of the next six days. The tension between memory and mission sets the tone for proper observance.

Without memory, God’s people are led to forget the goodness of God as well as the weakness of humanity in history. The sin of Israel was her forgetfulness (Ps. 103:2; Eze. 23:35; Hosea 8:14) of the past. She acknowledged neither her need for God, nor God’s power to provide all her needs. Anniversaries help us remember.

Without mission, God’s people are led to become indolent and apathetic in and for the kingdom of God. Similarly, the sin of the church is her indifference to realize neither her need for God nor God’s Spirit and power to fulfill the mission. Anniversaries motivate us to mission.

When in proper focus, we can approach any anniversary with a healthier attitude. Let us meditate on God’s goodness and providence, which continue to enable us to go to the ends of the earth for Jesus. God has sustained and grown us for 175 years. He will continue to sustain and grow us, for we are 175 years closer than we were before. Happy anniversary, Adventist Review!