Remember Jamestown

Here's a little piece I wrote back in 2007 that I recently found. Enjoy! :)

*    *    *

Do you know what happened at Jamestown? According to Kevin Crossett, spokesman for the official Jamestown 2007 commemoration,"Few people remember their history about Jamestown. They know about Plymouth, which was founded 13 years later. But people are just beginning to realize that Jamestown is a place, that it's connected with John Smith and Pocahontas." This, the year 2007, is Jamestown's 400th birthday. Unlike years past, there will be no official celebration for Jamestown's anniversary, for how can we celebrate an invasion? Go no further than the primary source documents, written by and for these “ruthless” men of Jamestown – not the writings of the 21th revisionist mindset – and uncover much to rejoice over, celebrate, and remember through God's providential acts at Jamestown, how he used the settlers at Jamestown, and teaching these things to our children.

A modern misconception about Jamestown is that the settlers came to Virginia for their own profit. However, the first charter dispels all doubts for evidence of the real reason they came – the inspiration that drove these men to cross a vast ocean to an unknown, lonely land and settle there. “... by the providence of Almightie God, hereafter tende to the glorie of His Divine Majestie in propagating of Christian religion to suche people as yet live in darkenesse...” The men that came to Jamestown knew there were people in America living in darkness, with no way to learn of Jesus Christ, no way to be saved. They were willing to come to America and sacrifice their lives for the propagation of the Christian religion. These were visionary men, who laid the foundation for our nation at Jamestown. As soldiers who have died serving this country, hundreds of these men died for America. Keeping in mind that these men were also sinners, and not incorruptible, they still should be honored and remembered for their memorable acts at Jamestown. They did not come simply for their own profit, but for the furtherance of the gospel.
We need to remember and celebrate God's providential acts at Jamestown. In the words of the London Council for Virginia “For every plantation which our heavenly father hath not planted shall be rooted out.” Our heavenly Father led Jamestown through starving times and long, cold winters. He raised up John Smith at a time when the settlement needed him most, and sent Pocahontas, who in the words of John Smith “she next under God, was still the instrument to preserve this colony from death, famine and utter confusion; which if in those times, had once been dissolved, Virginia might have lain as it was at our first arrival to this day.” The soil is rich with the forgotten stories of old, tales of the awesome power of God. If we do not preserve these memories, they will be gone, lost forever.

What the settlers did at Jamestown, and the remembrance thereof, is extremely important and vital for the future of our country. When we read through the history of the nation of Israel, there are countless times when they fell into sin simply because they forgot their fathers and their father's deeds. If Americans refuse to remember their founding fathers and God's providential hand mercifully displayed throughout the history of our nation, what will become of America? Our children are the future leaders of our country. They need to grow up listening and learning about the heroic deeds of old. Not only those of such great men as George Washington and John Smith, but also of the young Indian girl who played a major part in saving Jamestown when she was only twelve years old. Let them hear of the Indian youth who saved so many lives by forewarning Jamestown of the impending massacre. Or tell them about the brave men and women who went behind enemy lines during the Revolutionary War, risking their lives, their fortunes, their homes for the freedom we now enjoy. Hearing of such heroic deeds as those interwoven throughout America's providential history will not only strengthen your faith and their faith in God, but will inspire our offspring to perform heroic deeds of their own. They will not only learn from past victories, but from past mistakes as well, and they will be better prepared for the future. Pillars of remembrance for such heroic deeds should be raised, so that God's hand interwoven throughout all of America's history will never be forgotten.

What happened at Jamestown is a significant part of America's history. If we forget what happened there, we will lose much of our rich history. Jamestown is not something to be ignored or covered up, but to be remembered and celebrated. Remember Jamestown. Remember what the settlers did there. Most importantly, remember to teach these things to your children.