Remember When
November 10/2013 Haggai
1:15b-2:9
The process
of writing a sermon title for me varies each week – sometimes the thoughts come
and I form a title around that and other times the title comes and the sermon develops
around those line – this week however, after thinking about the theme of remembrance
day, and going over the interesting readings from Scripture –the title came –
but it came with the voice of Alan Jackson singing the song in my head and it
has been a bit distracting ever since....Remember When..
“Remember when I was young and so
were you”
and time stood still and love was all we knew”
and time stood still and love was all we knew”
So I googled
it and what came up with was Alan singing with the opening scene from the movie
“Up” running in the background. It is a beautiful piece of the movie – about a
couple of ordinary people living their ordinary lives. It begins in the middle of their two lives –
when the couple are getting married, Ellie and Carl Fredricksen
and then we see scenes of their life together, buying their first house and
decorating it, working together at the zoo, pursuing their dreams, hoping to
have children and finding out they can’t, reawakening an old dream and
discovering the roadblocks and detours they have to take on the bumpy road of
life. The gentle melody and lyrics
accompany this lovely montage of ordinary life moments,
“Remember
when we vowed the vows and walked the walk
Gave our hearts, made the start, it was hard
We lived and learned, life threw curves
There was joy, there was hurt
Remember when” (Alan Jackson)
Gave our hearts, made the start, it was hard
We lived and learned, life threw curves
There was joy, there was hurt
Remember when” (Alan Jackson)
The short
video spans about 40 or 50 years as we watch this young couple age and grey and
grow stockier and wrinkleyier - until we
get the moment when Ellie reaches the end of her life and she dies, and it obvious
that for the other – for Carl - he feels like it is his end as well – its over
– and that the story is complete - but it is not –in fact it is just the
beginning of the story, this clip is what sets the scene for the whole movie –
it is only the preamble for the next big adventure of the reluctant hero – even
though all Carl Fredricksen wants to do is to
sit in his chair and remember when... he is to take those memories and use them
as his guide post and move on to tomorrow.
The Prophet
Haggai proclaims: Who is left among you that saw this house in
its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as
nothing? Who remembers?
Remember
when says Haggai –
·
remember
how it used to be –
·
remember
before the exile,
·
remember
before the destruction,
·
remember
before the scattering and the conquering
·
remember
before the eventual return –
·
remember he says – remember what it used to
look like,
o
when the temple stood tall and grand and the
people came to worship our God
o
when
the temple had priests and sacrifices and was a hub of activity
o
when
you could see the very presence of God in the midst of the magnificent temple
building
Remember
when – Haggai proclaims to the people, remember who you are and whose you are. Because when you do you are put back together
again – as God’s people and hope returns and God gets in.
It is the
second year of King Darius of Persia, the seventh month, the 21st
day – this is the day that God comes to Haggai and tells him that he is the one
that is to rally the people together and begin again to rebuild the
temple. God give Haggai words and
passion to share with the people – the discouraged and lethargic people of Israel. It has been16 years since the Jewish nation
was given permission to return to Jerusalem and to rebuild the city and the temple. Work had begun but due to some unrest in the
area – it had slowed to a halt and had remained in hiatus for many years –
Haggai has been commissioned by God to encourage the people back to the task –
to remind them that not only is rebuilding the temple a noble task, but it
matters to God and it is important work, - it is vital work- vital to who they are as
God’s people.
A fellow
preacher this week puts it this way, Liz writes: “It was a huge task to rebuild the temple and
return it to its former glory. It took a
huge commitment - hard work and dedication.
The prophet Haggai realised that, what the people needed, was not simply someone to appeal to their work ethic, and their charity, they needed someone to stir their soul.
To take them back to basics - reminding them of their roots in God, their relationship - a symbol of which is this temple that honours God and the unique relationship that these people share with God in community.
The prophet Haggai realised that, what the people needed, was not simply someone to appeal to their work ethic, and their charity, they needed someone to stir their soul.
To take them back to basics - reminding them of their roots in God, their relationship - a symbol of which is this temple that honours God and the unique relationship that these people share with God in community.
·
It's
more than - " build the temple and God will reward you"
·
It's
more too, than " build the temple and people will flock to it"
Haggai's message strips away all the superficiality and invites the remnant, those who remember the old times, to remember specifically how God has been at the heart of their culture for ever - and more, will always be at the heart of their being in community.
God - yesterday, God today and God forever.
That is the
God who is to be honoured in the building of this temple, a work that demands
only the best in recognition of the God at the heart of all life.”[1] ... they are to take those memories and use
them as their guide post and move on to tomorrow, reclaiming themselves as
God’s people, rebuilding their new lives in Jerusalem, coming together as one
as the temple is restored.
Remember when....
They shall
grow not 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 will remember them.[2]
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.[2]
These words
written by Laurence Binyon in September of 1914 will be spoken at pretty much
every single cenotaph in our country tomorrow around 11 am – because we are
called to remember.
·
We
are called to remember those who fought so valiantly in the wars of the
twentieth and twenty first centuries.
·
We
are called to remember those who lost lives because of war including all the
civilians who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and those who were
targeted because of their faith or ethnicity or disability, all the casualties
of war.
·
And
we are called to remember so that maybe we might learn something about how not
to engage in war any more.
·
And
we are called to remember so that our children and our children’s children
understand that there were those who gave of their lives to a cause that they
believed in, and fought for a world safe from tyranny and a nation where people
are free to make choices about their faith, their culture and their
lifestyle.
·
And
we are called to remember so that we can take these memories and use them as
our guide post and move on to tomorrow working for a world without war.
“Remember
when old ones died and new were born
And life was changed, disassembled, rearranged”
And life was changed, disassembled, rearranged”
Remembering
is not about looking into the past and wishing to remain there, and finding
only good in the past – that is nostalgia and quite frankly it is not healthy
nor is it how God wants us to live. Haggai
was really clear – remember how it was, see that as your inspiration and then
allow God to do a new thing, a different thing, not better than what was – nor
worse than what was – different than what was.
It is a matter of stepping out in trust – that God is not done with us
yet and that what ever is before us will be fine.
I think that
we in the church need to hold on to this message as never before as we are in
the midst of great change – there is no denying it any more – the church is not
what it used to be – remember
·
Remember
full Sunday schools and large choirs
·
Remember
Sunday mornings being about church instead of hockey arenas or grocery shopping
·
Remember
when there were people clamoring to get on committees
·
Remember
when the church had status in the community
·
Remember
when there was enough money and more to meet the budget needs
These days
are gone, and no matter how much we wish it were not so, we cannot go back to
the way things used to be. But neither
are we called to forget this time for in this time we had a glimpse of God at
work in the world in that way, and the message of Jesus being proclaimed to
that generation – and it is the foundation of many of us who sit in these pews
this morning. But – now is now – and
this time is about a different expression of being God church in the world – I
do not know what we are going to be looking like in 10 years, but I do know
that we will be here in some form or another and I know this by knowing about
who we were. And i know this because at the
very core of everything there is God, and God gets into this world – in spite of
all of our cultural attempts to keep God out – God gets in, and God is not done
with us yet – just as God came to the ones who came before and supported and upheld
and challenged the generation before us – God comes now and supports and uphold
and challenges us to love our neighbours, to seek peace, to proclaim Jesus crucified
and risen – to love and serve our God, in this time and in this place as we remember
when.“We won't be sad, we'll be glad
For all the life we've had
And we'll remember when”
For all the life we've had
And we'll remember when”
Very good.
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