Message: We Remember / Ps 107:1-7, 33-37

The book of Psalms is one of the most interesting books in the Bible. Although it is called 'psalm,' which comes from the Greek word ψαλμός (psalmos) meaning song, it is more than just a collection of songs. It contains various forms of writing: poems, songs, laments, prayers and wisdom writings. Also, the psalmists explore a wide range of human emotions and experiences, from joy and gratitude to sorrow, anxiety, and anger, which helps us feel close to God and understand our own struggles. For this reason, many psalms still resonate with many people today.

But the Psalms weren't put together just because of personal piety or salvation. They were born out of the desperation our ancestors in faith felt as they tried to find God's hope and peace when their community was falling apart.

In the year 586 BCE, the Babylonian Empire completely occupied the kingdom of Judah. The walls of Jerusalem crumbled, countless buildings were burned, and thousands of people lost their lives in the war. After their victory, the Babylonians took about 18,000 Jews captive in their land, marking the beginning of the Babylonian captivity.

More than anything, it was the destruction of the Temple that struck despair into the hearts of the Israelites. The Temple was a place of "remembrance." In the centre of the temple was the ark containing the covenant of God who liberated the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. In the temple, they were reminded of God's message, "Remember that you were once oppressed in Egypt and I delivered you from there, so build a new world in the Promised Land by caring for the vulnerable."

However, as they settled in the Promised Land, the Israelites slowly forgot to "remember." They lost their gratitude to God and became complacent. Political and religious leaders misused the temple and the Law for their own gain. In this situation, the prophet Jeremiah delivered God's message to them, saying, "But my people have forgotten me, they burn offerings to a delusion [...] Like the wind from the east, I will scatter them before the enemy; I will show them my back, not my face, in the day of their calamity." (Jeremiah 18:15,17)

Despite the warnings of many prophets, including Jeremiah, Israel's leaders no longer wished to remember their history. As a consequence, the Israelites lost their temple, their place of remembrance, and were carried away into captivity in a foreign country. There, they endured discrimination and contempt from the Babylonians. Psalm 137 captures their situation well:
    "By the rivers of Babylon-
    there we sat down and there we wept 
    when we remembered Zion. 
    On the willows there 
    we hung up our harps. 
    For there our captors 
    asked us for songs, 
    and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, 
    "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" 
    How could we sing the LORD's song 
    in a foreign land? 
    If I forget you, O Jerusalem, 
    let my right hand wither! 
    Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth, 
    if I do not remember you, 
    if I do not set Jerusalem 
    above my highest joy."

In the midst of their suffering and sorrow the Israelites began to remember God's grace and care in the past. Moreover, their hardship led to a new awareness: God was not just in the Temple. In the warmth of the sun, in the refreshing cool breeze, and in the rain that nourished new growth, they experienced the love of the Creator. They sang:
  "O Lord, how manifold are your works! 
    In wisdom you have made them all; 
    the earth is full of your creatures. 
    Yonder is the sea, great and wide, 
    creeping things innumerable are there, 
    living things both small and great." (Psalm 104:24-25)

In this situation, they began to understand: Without remembrance, there is no gratitude. Without remembrance, there is no justice. Without remembrance, there is no peace. Without remembrance, there is no hope. In order to remember God not only in the temple but in the place where they were, they started collecting a variety of hymns, prayers, wisdom writings, and songs of thanksgiving. The result was 150 psalms which took their final shape around the fourth century BCE.

Today's text, Psalm 107, is also about "remembrance." The psalmist invites us to remember how God delivered our ancestors of faith from imperial oppression and the trials of the wilderness. The psalm concludes by emphasizing God's steadfast love:
    "God raises up the needy out of distress, 
    and makes their families like flocks. 
    The upright see it and are glad; 
    and all wickedness stops its mouth. 
    Let those who are wise give heed to these things, 
    and consider the steadfast love of the LORD." (Psalm 107:41-43)

The Hebrew word זכר (zakar), meaning "to remember," appears 225 times in the Hebrew Bible (OT), and Psalms is the book in which the word appears most frequently, a total of 53 times. Through the Psalms, our ancestors in faith remembered that their God was a God of peace and freedom. They remembered that God never ignored the cries of the suffering. They remembered that empires founded on violence never lasted. They remembered that God called them to establish a kingdom of hope and justice based on compassion and love. 

Today, we gather with deep gratitude in our hearts to remember and honour the brave souls who sacrificed for the cause of peace and freedom. We remember those who fought for peace among the poppies of the Flanders fields. We remember our soldiers, sailors, air personnel, and police officers who paid the ultimate price so that we could live in freedom. We remember the nurses, doctors, and chaplains who cared for those who fought. Most importantly, we remember that they were not alone. God was with them.

In the Psalms, there are a lot of laments from the psalmists who sing of their grief and pain. Many of you here also grieve for those who have sacrificed for freedom and peace and feel the pain of the wars happening in the world today. But our faith doesn't end there. The final psalm, Psalm 150, praises God's goodness and greatness, ending with "Hallelujah." 

You may grieve, but do not despair. You may lament, but do not give up. You may mourn, but do not lose faith. As long as we remember, there is hope for us.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Remembrance Sunday, November 5, 2023
South Stormont Pastoral Charge
Rev. Min Hwang

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