A SERMON ON REMEMBERING
by The Rev Melvin R. Ralph, Retired
Preached   on Remembrance Sunday,  November 14, 1993
at Bethany United Church, Carbonear, Newfoundland

November is a month for remembering. On November 5, commonly known as Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night, we are called to remember:

Please to remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.

On November 11 we will once again hear and remember the words of Laurence Binyon:

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them.

The command to remember is an important injunction and one which comes from many ssources, and especially from the Biblical writers. You've heard these calls to remember:

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. (Exodus 20:8)
Remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them. (Numbers 15:39 )
Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years.. (Deuteronomy 8:2)
Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you. (Deuteronomy 15:15)
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth. (Ecclesiastes 12:1)
Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.. (John 15:20)
Remember the words of the Lord Jesus how he said that it is more blessed to give than it is to receive.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. (II Corinthians 9:6)

Remembering was important to the people of the Biblical times because in those days there were no printing presses and few scrolls. There were no books, tapes, records, computers, magazines, flyers, internet, e-mail,  photographs, video cameras, or newspapers. Few people could read or write, therefore a person's, a community's and a nation's history often had to be committed to memory and passed along from generation to generation by word of mouth.

But it was this remembering, recalling and reciting of their history, especially their spiritual history, that strengthened the spiritual identify and life of the Israelites and the Christians of the early Church.

We are not as well of as our spiritual ancestors were, because we lack the same facility to remember. We have not trained our memories to same degree as the people of the days of Moses and Paul. Moreover, many of us no Christian memory, that is, they have little memory of our spiritual heritage, we don't know very many of the stories of our Hebraic and Christian tradition.

It is important, therefore, on this Remembrance Sunday, to remember what it means to remember the story, the story of those who died in battle for us, to remember the story of God's mighty works for us and among us, and especially his mighty works in the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ, who laid down his life that we might live.

But how do we remember the story? What does it mean to remember the story?

REMEMBER THE STORY BY RECALLING THE STORY

This past week we heard the story of Mrs. Isabella Hutchings of St. John's who went to Ottawa to lay the wreath at the national war memorial on behalf of all Canadian mothers who lost a son in war. Her 23 year old son, Samuel, was on his way home after the war, but lost his life when in a storm he was swept of the deck of the ship that was bringing him back to his home and family. Isabella's and Sam's are two of the stories that we need to recall and never let pass from our memories.

On Thursday past many of us remembered the sacrifice of our war dead by active recalling, that is, we went to the war memorials and recalled the price paid for our peace and freedom. Remember as recalling involves responsive action, like parading, going to Remembrance Day services, sometimes standing in the cold and rain at a service at the town war memorial to hear about the heroic deeds of our sailors, soldiers and air force people who laid down their lives, who fought and died on our behalf in the terrible wars of this century.. We are called on to recall their mighty deeds.

The Biblical writers were really good at recalling mighty deeds.. In the lesson we read today from Psalm 105 the poet recalls an important part of his own spiritual heritage, namely, how God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt into the promised land.

The whole account in Psalm 105 of what God did is preceded by this verse:

Remember the wonderful works God has done,
His miracles, and the judgments he uttered.

The fact of the matter is that the Israelites were, and are still not allowed to forget. They are not allowed to forget the 6,000,000 million Jews that died during the Second World War at the hands of the Nazis. The yearly Passover celebrations recalls still today in a very dramatic way how many years ago their ancestors were rescued from slavery in Egypt. They are time and time again urged to remember the mighty works of their God by re-enacting the Passover Feast.

The Christian equivalent of the Passover, of course, is the celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Communion, in which we, with the use of bread and wine, recall that Jesus died on the cross for us and for our salvation.

Remembering is recalling, going over the story in as much detail as possible, in whatever way possible, reading it again and again, re-enacting it, telling it to our children and to each other, singing about it, dramatizing it.

Or as Catherine Hankey put it in that hymn we love to sing:

Tell me the story often
For I forget so soon.

Whatever opportunity you have remember the Christian story by recalling it.

 REMEMBER THE STORY BY MAKING IT YOUR STORY

Another sure way to remember the story of our war dead is to make that story our own, that is, to place ourselves in their shoes, and apply their commitment and sacrifice to our lives.

The same is true of the Biblical story. The stories we read about the obedience of Abraham, the treachery of Isaac, the struggles of Jacob, the sale of Joseph into slavery, the escape of Israelites from Egypt, and their disobedience in the wilderness is my story and your story.

When you read about David and his many mistakes, replace his name with your name. When you read about Jesus calling Peter and James and John to discipleship, hear that call being addressed to you. When you read about Judas' betrayal and Peter's denial know that you are in reality reading your story of treachery and cowardice. When you read about Jesus forgiving the woman caught in adultery, or Jesus befriending Mary Magdalene, or Jesus healing the sick and raising the dead replace their names with your name, because their stores of forgiveness, healing and salvation are your stories.

Remembering the stories of our war dead and the Biblical story is making these stories your story.

REMEMBER THE STORY BY DOING THE STORY.

When I was a student minister in Nova Scotia I boarded with a farming couple. The lady of the house who, although she confessed being a born again Christian, and didn't lack for money, was in fact a very greedy person.. I was sitting in the kitchen when somebody came to her door selling poppies. When she went to the door I heard her say, "No thank you, I don't need one. I've still got mine from last year."

All of what Remembrance Day and the sale of poppies meant was lost on that lady. She probably remembered the war dead, but her remembering was passive and not active. She did not realize that remembering is doing.

Passive remembering is letting something go through our mind and then forgetting it, and doing nothing about it. Active remembering is letting our memory move us to action.

On Remembrance Day we were called on to remember the people who died for us, and the least we could have done was to buy a poppy so that their families might be cared for in some way, and that war veterans among us who are in need might be cared for. But even more, active remember is doing what we can to build a world of love and peace, freedom and justice, and caring and sharing. We remember not only with our minds but also with our hearts and with our hands and our feet, and with our time and our money.

When I remember Beulah's 29th! birthday in January I must do more than just remember. I know I must go out and buy a very romantic birthday card, and maybe a diamond ring, exquisite perfume and a dozen roses. Real remembering is doing.

We must remember so that we can keep in mind the great price paid for our freedom and for our salvation. But remembering for us must be a conscious commitment, so that our remembering will be active and not passive. It is a sad commentary on a people when they cease to have a memory of the great sacrifices made on their behalf.

One of the saddest pastoral contacts I make is in nursing homes with people who no longer have a memory. It must be doubly sad for family to visit a loved one who no longer remembers them. People who lose there memory are, in a sense, lost to us. It is memory that connects us, that bring our histories and lives together in ways that are life renewing and life giving.

The injunction for each of us here today is to remember, because remember our stories is important for our lives as individuals and our lives as a community of faith.

Remember the story. by recalling the story.
Remember the story by making the story your story.
Remember the story by doing the story.

PRAYER

Help us Lord always to remember. Most of all, help us to remember your story, your story as our creator, our liberator, our lover, our savior, our parent. Help us keep alive the stories of your mighty acts in scritpure, your mighty acts of love and healing salvation in our lives, and your mighty acts of power in the life of your church. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.