Sermon – January 2, 2004

C. Douglas Simmons, D.Min.

Memory

Memory is a strange and wonderful function; without it we tend to lose hold of our sense of personhood.  For one thing, our memories help us to locate ourselves as persons.  Each one of us has memories that are unique to us; no other person has experienced things in quite the same way or in quite the same sequence that we have.

Memory also serves to help us as we engage the various tasks of our lives, whether professional, familial, or recreational.  For example, the doctor needs memory to be able to practice medicine effectively, the teacher needs memory to lead the class toward new learnings, and the parent needs memory to help children grow in abilities and as persons.  These and many other areas of life are very dependent upon memory for the full functioning of the person in their environment.

Environment also raises the issue of memory in its corporate role, for memory serves to identify us as members of particular groups and nations and cultures.  So there is a corporate as well as personal dimension to memory.

If you have some doubt about the value and importance of memory I suggest that you talk with a person who has experienced the loss of memory in some fashion, either temporarily or permanently.  After such a discussion I believe that you will agree how crucially important memory is and perhaps get in touch with how much for granted we take this function until we lose it or are threatened with its loss.

There is something else about memory that is well worth our attention and that is this; memory is not something that humans invented, it is a gift of our creator.  We have our memories to be sure, and they are very much like our own personal property, but the function that allows us to have these blocks of retained information is not something that we can make.  Somehow it is connected with our brains and yet, it is also associated with our bodies.  One school of psychology recognizes this and is essentially aimed at helping people release trapped memories which are embedded in their muscles, a man named Reich founded it.  So it isn't just the brain and it isn't just the body.  Memory, whatever it is, and there are a lot of people who aren't sure exactly what it is and where it is located, is something that is God endowed.

I have a hunch that we all too often overlook this rather simple but pertinent fact.  In summary, I believe that it is appropriate to say that our self-hood is only possible because of the creative power of God.  I say this is so because of the heritage that we have as Christians.  The repositories of memory that Christians have, called tradition and Scripture help to inform both our belief and the experience that further shapes that belief.  So, in a very real sense, we are here today because of our need to remember who we are as Christians.  This time that we spend on Sundays is a very important part of both our individual and corporate lives as Christians.  And on this particular Day, as another year dawns on an uncertain future, we need to add to the faith dimension of our memorializations that of our common citizenship.  Today, we would do well to remember and give thanks for this country and its freedoms.

New Years Day is a moment in time in which we make resolves to do better, be better and care more, if we are so inclined.  It is not usually a day when we spend much time reflecting on what it means to be a citizen of this country.  One quick way to get in touch with the value of living in this land is to consider what it would be like if, by accident of birth, you were an Iraqi.  Your life would be a lot different.  For all her faults this land of ours has many things to commend it, not the least of which is the concept Thomas Jefferson and James Madison promulgated regarding the separation of church and state.  Jefferson was approached by a group of Baptists, who were pushing very hard for religious tolerance and freedom from governmental interference.  They received a letter from Jefferson, a portion of which I include here:

"We have solved by fair experiment the great and interesting question whether freedom of religion is compatible with order in government, and obedience to the laws.  And we have experienced the quiet as well as the comfort which results from leaving everyone to profess freely and openly those principles of religion which are the inductions of his own reason, and the serious convictions of his own inquiries."

In thinking of the aspect of citizenship I was reminded of Tom Brokaw's book, "The Greatest Generation," which is an unabashed tribute to the men and women who were teens in the late 1930's and early '40's, who went to war as kids and came home considerably aged  The movie, "Saving Private Ryan," seems to me to be an attempt to do the same sort of thing, yet, in addition, it puts before us the horrific nature of what these kids, become adults overnight, had to endure so that we might enjoy the freedoms we have.

I mention the book and the movie because I grew up during the Second World War and had a favorite uncle serve in the South Pacific Theater of the war.  Because of that I have a personal association with the generation who went, without question or hesitation, often to be killed or seriously maimed, into the military service of their country.  I think it's hard for those who don't have any connection with that portion of our country's history to appreciate its magnitude and effect on subsequent generations, yet in the present we have come full circle to appreciate the sacrifices of a younger generation, many of whose lives have been cut short by armed conflict in a foreign land.  In spite of its devastations World War II gave us many positive things; it spawned women's rights, civil rights, scientific advances, medical advances and shrunk the known world immensely, to name but a few things which derive from that period of our country’s history.  My memory of that time is indelibly engraved on my heart, and my appreciation of those who sacrificed their lives while I was playing sandlot baseball is too profound for any words to summarize.

So we remember and give thanks for the courage and generosity of a generation, whose efforts have given us so much.  We remember and give thanks for the religious freedoms we enjoy, and to remember that not all peoples are so fortunate.

And finally, we gather to remember who we are and what we are as Christians.  We have the Eucharist to help us remember that our faith is founded on the gracious and infinite mercy of a Creator who accepts us as we are.

All in all we have, in our memories store house, many things which we may need reminders about, yet which are there to call forth and help us identify ourselves as persons and give us impetus for gratitude to those who have gone before us.

I want to finish with the collect for the Future of the Human Race; I think it is a good reminder of that which needs to under gird our citizenship and our faith. 

"O God our heavenly Father, you have blessed us and given us dominion over all the earth: Increase our reverence before the mystery of life; and give us new insight into your purposes for the human race, and new wisdom and determination in making provision for its future in accordance with your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord."    AMEN.