A red letter day

Remember this day, for it has been said, that “it is the doom of men to forget”

Interesting to look up the origin of this idiom (or phrase) “red letter day”. This is from England,

What's the origin of the phrase 'Red letter day'?

This comes from the practice of marking the dates of church festivals on calendars in red.

The first explicit reference to the term in print that we have comes from America. This is a simple use of the term "Red letter day" in the diary of Sarah Knight - The journals of Madam Knight, and Rev. Mr. Buckingham ... written in 1704 & 1710, which was published in American Speech in 1940.

The practice is much earlier than that though. William Caxton, referred to it in The boke of Eneydos, translated and printed in 1490:

"We wryte yet in oure kalenders the hyghe festes wyth rede lettres of coloure of purpre."

📷The term came into wider use in 1549 when the first Book of Common Prayer included a calendar with holy days marked in red ink; for example, Annunciation (Lady Day), 25th March, was designated in the book as a red-letter day.

I have a friend who is a fellow pastor, that I ridden bicycles with for many years now. He has used this idiom “red letter day” for the one time that he beat me up a mountain. I was more out of shape than I thought, and he wound up waiting for me quite a while at the top of the mountain, even circled back a few times to check on me, make sure I was okay (I must have died a thousand deaths that day, riding up that mountain). I tell him when he reminds me of that day, it will be your only red-letter day. So far, it has been the only read letter day.

Well young ladies, today is a red letter day that you would do well to remember, you would do well to note it down and you would do well to remind God on occasion.

Remember - why remember? Do any of you forget your birthday? Days like today you should remember, April 29, 2023 you should remember. Just like your birthday, just like one day when you get married, your wedding day, just like one day when the Lord gives you children with your husband you will remember the birthday of your children and just like one day when the Lord blesses you with grandchildren, you will remember their birthdays. Remember today, daughters of the king. Remember today, like King David remembered the vow that he made before God and his friend Jonathan, that David would show kindness to Jonathan’s descendant when David became king.

Note it down - In my office at the church I have a calendar that is made up of blocks, the first couple of years I would update it when I came into my office but, after September 4th, 2021 I have left it on that day. Why you ask, because that was the day my grand-daughter was born. So, I don’t change that calendar, one day I even got a little upset when someone came into my office and changed it. I promptly changed it back. Note it down, so that you can bring it to your memory daughters of the king. Note it down, so that in times of trouble you can remember how good God is. How much God loves you and how much you love him. Note it down, so on those nights that you can’t sleep like the night that King Ahasuerus couldn’t sleep and he had one of his chroniclers read to him the book of memorable deeds, he heard again about Mordechai and how he had saved his life one time. So the king chooses to honor Mordechai, this in turn begins to signal to the people of God (including Queen Ether) that God has not forgotten them. Note it down, so that you can remember that God has not forgotten you and you have not forgotten God.

Remind God - remind God? Huh? Yes, remind God, the Bible is filled with stories of oath keepers and oath breakers. God keeps his oaths, he doesn’t forget, he doesn’t fall asleep at the switch. Yet, we find in the Bible throughout the Psalms and other parts of the Bible, there were people who reminded God of what he had done for them and what he had promised to do. Once the tabernacle was established and the priests had there roles assigned, there were priests that cleaned, priest that took in the sacrifices, priests that assisted in the sacrifice, the priests of the tabernacle and the 1st and 2nd temple had all sort of roles. Yet, there was one group of priests who had a very specific role, they were the remembrancers, sounds like a singing group from the 1950’s. Well, these were singers, these were the sons of Asaph and they had a very specific role. Once a year they would read Psalms 121 through Psalms 134.

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. Psalms 121

Once a year, every year, at the 15 steps, they would read each Psalm. In the times of the Temple worship, there were 15 steps from the Court of Women to the Court of Israel. At each step a son of Asaph would read a very specific set of Psalms, beginning with Psalm 121. “I will lift up mine eyes’

Also, in times of national trouble a son of Asaph or in Hebrew he was also called a “Mazkir” a remembrancer, and the remembrancer was called in times of trouble. It was the job of the remembrancer to remind God. To remind him of the great things that he has done, to remind him of his promises but, we find that in doing this it also reminds the people of God, what they promised.

So, remember this day, note down this day and remind God of this day, in turn when you remind God, you will remember that you are a daughter of the king. A daughter that is loved, a daughter that is cherished, a daughter that is remembered.