Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c
Preaching
A Journey Through the Psalms: Reflections for Worried Hearts and Troubled Times
Preaching the Psalms Cycles A, B, C
The power of these words is rooted in memory. The remembering of God's mighty works is basis for praise. The remembering of the salvation story gives light to future generations. Indeed, as we move beyond the psalms to Christian scripture and its derivative faith, we are called to remember as we celebrate the sacrament of holy communion. Memory, it seems, is the key to the whole enterprise of faith. More than this, memory is important to the advancement of civilization, even one could say, to the survival of the human species.
If we don't remember and retell the stories, our faith will disappear. It is much the same within civilization. Remembering the primary stories of a culture insures its survival. And even down to the survival of the species, memory is crucial. Remembering, for example, where the cave bears dwell was key in the survival of ancient humans. Yes, memory is a foundation stone of human reality.
Memory, however, is not static. It lives and moves and breathes. Memory is like a snowball rolled down a hill. It acquires new snow with rotation downward, growing larger and larger. In fact, memory also depends upon new acquisition as time goes forward. Without new experiences, both individual and corporate memory would become stale and brittle.
An interesting exercise might be for a congregation or faith community to think and pray about the new things taking place that they would like to remember. What dynamic and powerful things are happening in ministry? Mission? Evangelism? What things add snow to the rolling ball of faith as it hurtles down the hill? What new elements give vibrancy and power to the memories they will pass on to another generation?
And if, as may be the case in some communities, there are no new memories to add to this snowball, there is a challenge to be met. What new things might be undertaken that would be memorable? What ministries might ignite a community to move forward? What new enterprise might unite and give power?
Memory is indeed important. But if it is not fed with the new power and energy of experience, it will simply grow stale and brittle and will surely shatter on its way down the hill.
If we don't remember and retell the stories, our faith will disappear. It is much the same within civilization. Remembering the primary stories of a culture insures its survival. And even down to the survival of the species, memory is crucial. Remembering, for example, where the cave bears dwell was key in the survival of ancient humans. Yes, memory is a foundation stone of human reality.
Memory, however, is not static. It lives and moves and breathes. Memory is like a snowball rolled down a hill. It acquires new snow with rotation downward, growing larger and larger. In fact, memory also depends upon new acquisition as time goes forward. Without new experiences, both individual and corporate memory would become stale and brittle.
An interesting exercise might be for a congregation or faith community to think and pray about the new things taking place that they would like to remember. What dynamic and powerful things are happening in ministry? Mission? Evangelism? What things add snow to the rolling ball of faith as it hurtles down the hill? What new elements give vibrancy and power to the memories they will pass on to another generation?
And if, as may be the case in some communities, there are no new memories to add to this snowball, there is a challenge to be met. What new things might be undertaken that would be memorable? What ministries might ignite a community to move forward? What new enterprise might unite and give power?
Memory is indeed important. But if it is not fed with the new power and energy of experience, it will simply grow stale and brittle and will surely shatter on its way down the hill.
