Given the impacts of lockdown it is extraordinary that it has been so effectively erased from the national narrative. There are no headlines on the BBC website commemorating the date and analysing the consequences of the decision. There is endless comment and speculation about the measures Rachel Reeves may or may not introduce in the forthcoming budget, but barely a nod to how our current financial predicament is linked to lockdown. The amnesia is really quite weird.

November the fifth has long been a date to remember. Sadly, now rather overtaken by the nonsense of Halloween, November fifth is a key date in our national history. Even if people are shaky on the details, Guy Fawkes and the attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament are part of our story.

Stories matter. They locate us in space and time, giving a sense of identity and defining culture. (Which is why the flags have the significance they do.)

The people of God have stories that help locate who we are, where we have come from, and what our mission is. If we are to know these things we need to know the stories. Amnesia about scripture and church history leaves us scrabbling to understand who we are and what our purpose is.

In his excellent book on the role of the Holy Spirit in the ministry of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Philip Eveson highlights the significance ‘the doctor’ placed on knowing our story. For instance, the 1859 revival loomed large in Lloyd-Jones’ thinking and was seen by him as,

Similar to the supernatural activity of God at the river Jordan, when Israel crossed over dry-shod into the land of Canaan. Telling future generations of what happened in Church History was like answering the question ‘What mean these stones?’, stones which God had commanded to be taken from the middle of Jordan and set up in Gilgal (Josh. 4:21-24). He taught his congregation the importance of monuments and reminders of the great things God has done and that Christians are called to consider historical facts, ‘significant and miraculous facts.’

We see another example of this intentional memory in the longest prayer in the Bible, that of Nehemiah 9. In this prayer the Levites bring to memory the ‘stones’ of God’s acting among them: His work as creator, the covenant with Abraham, the story of the Exodus, the conquest of the land, and God’s constant forgiving of His peoples frequent rebellion. It is these memorial stones that provide a sense of identity, the certainty of hope, and the scope of mission for God’s people. These stones are our story too. We need to know the Bible story. We need to know church history. We need memorial stones to help guide our steps into the future. We should not forget.

Six days after Guy Fawkes Day comes Armistice Day: Lest we forget. The slogan stands as a warning – forgetfulness is not simply failing to remember; it is losing a part of who we are. Forgetting lockdown makes it harder to understand our current social woes and more likely we will repeat the mistakes of 2020. Forgetting Guy Fawkes separates us from our national identity and culture. Forgetting the memorial stones of scripture’s story and church history leaves us blowing in the wind of every kind of teaching and deceitful scheming.

Remember, remember, the fifth of November.